China Trip 2007 4

Last weekend we returned after 22 days in China for me and 53 days for Han. I know some of you have been anxious to see some pictures, so I must apologize for the delay. It’s been quite the shift from vacation mode straight back into work mode; and work has been busy; hence the delay.

Since returning, a few people asked me what the highlight of my trip was, and I’ve already given a few different answers. But when I actually think about it, there’s one experience that stands out above the rest. One day, I was walking down the street in Haikou and 6 or 7 school kids walked up to me, intrigued by my odd skin colour and shape. They were afraid to say anything to me, but as I kept walking they kept following. If I stopped; they stopped. If I walked; they walked. After I spoke some Chinese to them, what seemed like 40 other kids came swarming around me. I was surrounded by kids. They all wanted to hear me talk Chinese so they could giggle at the sight of a “lao wai” (foreigner) speaking Mandarin.

The most humourous part of the engagement was when one of the kids pointed at his own nose and said something in Chinese. Without understanding what was coming out of his mouth, I knew exactly what he meant. One thing that exists everywhere in the world is the universal language. I’m not talking about English; I’m talking about body language. No matter where you are, body language is the universal language that can be easily understood regardless of language barriers.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the kid was pointing at his own nose and saying “Look at the lao wai (me), he has a pointy nose!”. All the kids then stared at my nose and laughed. It was quite a spectacle.

Below are some of my favourite pictures from the trip. They include pictures from Hong Kong, Sanya & Haiko (Hainan island), and Beijing in the North. Enjoy!