Summer of Water

Last summer we took a roadtrip around Yunnan for about 4 weeks. This summer, without much planning, we ended up staying and traveling a few different cities, but always near a body of water.

Itinerary

Initially we were in Jinan, my partner’s hometown, and her parents stay next to a dam, with mountains that is a bit like a mini grand canyon. We stayed for a few weeks to enjoy the real hot summer. After that we headed towards the sea side, staying a couple of days in each coastal city.

First stop was Qingdao, just in time for the city’s international beer festival. We also enjoyed the sea and the beaches at Huangdao side. Qingdao is packed with tourists, and feels very developed with many tall buildings scattered all over. TIL, Qingdao is classified as “new first-tier” city in China.

Second stop is Yantai, a surprisingly pleasant coastal city. What I learned was that the city actually had linkages with Malaysia through the founder of Changyu wine company, Zhangbishi that is headquartered in Yantai. Zhangbishi is part of the chinese diaspora in the late 1800s and early 1900s that travelled to Southeast Asia and he created a large fortune for himself. He has the reputation of being “the Rockefeller of the East”.

We took an overnight ferry from Yantai to reach our third and final stop which is Dalian, that some refer to as a mini Hong Kong, with its hilly and winding roads. The culture here is quite a departure from the more conservative Kongzi influenced Shandong. People seem more direct and outspoken. It was very walkable place with many interesting shops scattered in the old area. I personally found it quite livable.

Reflections

Because I grew up in Malaysia, I have always enjoyed the sea and the beaches, which is never too far away. But living in Dali for the past 8 years, which is almost 2000m above sea level, I miss the salty sea breeze and the sound of the waves crashing into each other. I don’t mind just sitting on the sandy beach and observe the changing tides.

I find it interesting that the representative brands for beer and wine in China are both headquartered in the 2 port cities that we visited. I suppose these ports were the gateways for cultural exchanges in the past. Qingdao was a German colonial port city and Yantai was part of the 1858 Treaties of Tianjin.

One observation I have is that despite the negative narrative of the Chinese economy in the news, both local and global, the day to day life is quite vibrant. There are lots of tourists in those cities; probably due to summer school holidays. And when we went into the shopping malls, the shops are packed, people are shopping, eating and generally having a good time.

Another observation (and also partly experience) I have is that non-first tier cities like Dalian and Yantai are actually very livable because they have enough of the big city infrastructure, but less expensive and more livable. A lot of the technology that we depend on such as fast mobile data, internet apps, and courier networks that we depend on daily, almost like basic necessities are also widely deployed in such cities.

Finally, I had a bunch of conversations with chinese male friends, during this trip, and we ended up talking about general life, work and family topics. One thing that stood out is the unspoken responsibility (and mostly expected by society) that is shouldered by the males in the family.

The two words that comes up often is: “养家”. Even if the work is not fun or exciting, or even affecting one’s health, one still has to go on to ensure the family is taken care of. Both the friends I talk to, really felt in their bones that the responsibility is fully owned by them, and everything else in their life is not as important, basically non-negotiable.

I am sure this gives a lot of meaning to their lives. Reflecting on my own journey, I think this topic is not discussed as much, as compared to other gender topics. We all belong to some family, and whatever role you play there, I think it is important to openly discuss the expected responsibilities more, and not just assume and take it all in by yourself. I believe humanity survives and thrives because we are able to cooperate.