Local traditions and culture in China

Definition from Wikipedia: , is a type of internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. It is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: its hard and soft martial art technique, demonstration competitions, and longevity. As a consequence, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims. Some of t'ai chi ch'uan's training forms are especially known for being practiced at what most people categorize as slow movement.

Throughout China, in parks and other open areas, one can see people doing Tai Chi. In my video, I photographed some people outside the Shanghai Museum in the surrounding park.

When travelling in China, you better get used to eating with chopsticks - even noodle soup is served with chopsticks!

I remember the first meal we had in China! I thought to myself: "well, I either practise now or I will starve" - and I practised and enjoyed the most delicious food ever!!!

In westernized hotels and restaurants you will get a knife and fork, but personally I think the food tastes so much better when eating it the traditional way!
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Chinese cities are dramatically increasing in size and economic strength, leading to a boom in massive urban construction projects. These construction projects include infrastructure improvements, such as roads, highways, bridges, airports, and deep-water ports; residential highrises; and privately owned office buildings.

Ever since Deng Xiao Ping opened up China in the 1980s, foreign investment has flowed into the country, causing an economic boom that is attracting businesses and millions of people to the cities in search of work and a better lifestyle. This influx of new residents causes a demand for infrastructure and housing. In 1952, China had nine cities with a population of 1,000,000; today there are at least 37 cities of that size.

Office construction in Chinese cities has been nothing short of phenominal. Most large cities have dozens, if not hundreds, of skyscrapers, with skylines that rival that of New York City, and they have sprung up only within about a 20-year period. The construction of super-tall skyscrapers has shifted from the United States to Asia. China currently has more buildings over 1,000 feet (305 meters) either completed or under construction than any other country in the world.

Predictions made by the government and world development agencies predicted that China's urban construction would double every ten years. In reality, however, it has doubled every five years. In each five-year period, the urban built-up areas increase by about 57,915 square miles (15,000 square kilometers). Between the late 1990s and 2005, the built-up urban areas of Chinese cities increased by 50 percent. This means a loss of agricultural land and natural areas such as woodlands and wetlands.

The Pearl River Delta is the low-lying region surrounding the estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. The region forms the world's largest urban agglomeration, with about 120,000,000 people living in the four main cities of Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Hong Hong and the clusters of built-up urban areas between those cities.

Agriculture in the Pearl River Delta is an aspect of the economy and a way of life that is rapidly becoming increasingly rare, and may eventually disappear altogether. Up until about 1985, most of the region was made up of farms and rural villages. However, since then about 94 percent of the agricultural land amounting to about 23,166 square miles (60,000 square kilometers) has been lost to urban development.

The reason for this change is the fact that in 1985 the region was made a Special Economic Zone which attracted foreign investment, mainly from Hong Kong. That foreign investment, as well as investments from within China itself, turned the Pearl River Delta into one of the leading manufacturing centers in China, and it now boasts one of the largest and fastest-growing economies in the world.

The result of this phenomenal economic growth was an enormous influx of people seeking jobs in the Special Economic Zone and the loss of open land to urban growth and development.

Traveling between Shenzhen and Guangzhou on one of the new super highways, it is still possible to see farmers working their fields, often using primitive methods.

Most day trips from Hong Kong to mainland China include a stop at a Chinese kindergarten. On a day when school is not in session, the trip includes a stop at a factory or other cultural attraction. The first stop on my tour of Shenzhen was a kindergarten, where the children sang songs, danced, and played musical instruments. The program lasted about 15 or 20 minutes. I imagine that this is a daily routine for them, as day trips from Hong Kong are booked almost every day.

Kindergarten in China lasts about four years, and is compulsory for children between the ages of two and six years. The kindergarten system is divided into four levels. Nursery school is for children two to three years old, lower kindergarten is for children three to four years old, upper kindergarten is for children four to five years old, and preschool is for children five to six years old.

Most day trips from Hong Kong to mainland China include a stop at the Shekou Free Market. The market features fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat. While tourists might buy some fruit to eat later during their tour, the vegetables and meat are something that tourists obviously would not purchase. Nevertheless, it is an interesting experience to see locals bargain for their daily portion of meat and vegetables. Many Chinese do not have large refrigerators that are commonly owned in the West, so housewives tend to buy perishable goods every day to ensure freshness.

Most of the produce for sale at the Shekou Free Market is sold buy farmers from the region who are now allowed to sell their own crops and make a profit on them.

During my visit to the Shekou Free Market, I noticed that the vegetables appeared of better quality than what is generally available in American supermarkets. The meat, on the other hand, was displayed in the open air without refrigeration or ice. It was crawling with flies and did not seem very appealing to me.

Despite the fact that Hong Kong is now a Special Administrative Zone of China, visitors will still need a Chinese visa to travel to the mainland. Travelers who book a day trip can obtain a group visa through the tour company. Another option is to get a tourist visa before leaving home. I obtained my visa at the Chinese consulate in Chicago.

Although it cost a little more than a group visa, having a visa already stamped in my passport was more convenient. When I went through immigration upon entering China, I was placed at the head of the line because I already had a visa. This saved having to wait in a long line.

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Chinese people like to take pics. Even though it is forbidden to take pics in museums, they do not care. Now in most Chinese museums you take pics, but are not allowed to use tripods and flash lights.

As Westerners look very exotic to Chinese, they like to have their foto taken with you. They ask and then I normally ask them to use my camera to take a pic of me with them. That is always a lot of fun.

Children pose easily for a pic. They just love it. I do not know a country, where it is so easy to take pics of people.