There was a school break during which we traveled to the classic old city of LiJiang, China. It’s located in Yunnan province in the Southwest of the country, right in the foothills of the Himalayas. There is a tiny domestic airport, where travelers often arrive having connected from KunMing, the capital of the province. The streets of LiJiang are cobblestoned and shop prices are chokingly high for the tourists. My family, against our usual style, decided to act like tourists in that town and do touristy activities, even though we’d lived in China for years.
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
After strolling the area, we picked a random agency from the many that have offices on the main square. We chose a tour from a brochure and scheduled a horseback riding day trip for about 20 USD a person. Similar to the elephant ride that had often gone on in Chiangmai, Thailand, this trip was a package deal. Our group got to do many different things throughout the day, like boating in the swamp where an old man caught fish and made food for us in an unsanitary-looking iron pot. There was a village of shops with tie-dye makers hanging sheets from their windows and water buffaloes that wandered across the roads. Across all this was a bright, clean mountain breeze that made me grin. I had an amazing time leaping my horse over little rocks on the dirt roads, rushing through the valley past rice paddies and soy bean fields with the countryside sunshine on me.
Late in the afternoon, we stopped at a tea house, to, well—to drink tea. Our guides had us get off our horses and go into a concrete building that wore a mask of traditional Chinese architecture. We were assigned a tea server in a medium-sized headdress. She pulled us into a small room and immediately began to recite a lightning fast spiel about the tea we were being given to sample. With raised eyebrows and little smiles, we looked at each other and realized that this was definitely a selling gig. She went through the history of the tea, and we ended up with a detailed cultural narrative of the people in that area. After I had zoned out a few times, suddenly we found ourselves hearing:
“As you know, the Han minority people of China greatly value being slender. For the Xi, however, being fat is valued. A girl always aspires to have a stomach like a watermelon and a butt like a pumpkin.”
I sat up. My parents and I looked at each other.
“Sorry? Did you say skin?” The Chinese words sound similar.
“No, butt.”
I have moments where I think “this is why I love this place.” I revel in the experiences and the wild cultural quirks that are so different from the US, that pop up in front of me while I’m in this country and present the sheer beauty of China. Sitting in that tea house by the swamp, in the LiJiang valley, under the great big sun was one of those vacation “winners” that I would not trade. Times like that have taught me to follow a pattern of adventure. To travel, to take the back roads, to dive into foreign cultures in the weirdest places, to eat the strangest foods I see, and to admire the richness of the lives of those peoples who are so different than I—these are traditions I will keep to as long as I am alive.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
0 Replies to ““Say What?” The Beauties of Cultural Confusion”
Comment on this article
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I love you, CJ!!
Thank you for sharing with us, I think this website truly stands out : D.
I will right away snatch your rss feed as I can not in finding your email subscription link or newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me realize so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
Saved as a favorite, I love your blog!
Hello There. I found your weblog the usage of msn. That is an extremely neatly written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your useful info. Thank you for the post. I will definitely comeback.
Great job on this post! Kudos to the writer for delivering such a top-notch piece!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up
plus the rest of the site is also really good.
Good day! This post couldn’t be written any better!
Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him.
Pretty sure he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the blog.
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest
but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.
All the best
I loved Japan before I visited there– loved their video games, TV shows, martial arts, and amazing sword fights. But my only contact with Japan was through the Internet. Reading Japanese comic books (Manga) and watching Japanese cartoons (Anime) are my favorite pastime. So on Christmas day, when my parents gave me a book about Japanese culture, I was happy. When I opened the book and discovered the plane tickets inside, I was ecstatic.
In preparation for the trip, we took Japanese language lessons from a private tutor. By the time the trip rolled around I was eager to practice my new skills.
After landing in Narita airport, our first stop was the Zen Bed and Breakfast in Asakusa, Tokyo. My formal Japanese greeting impressed the owners. In the mornings, we had breakfast with them. I had never had rice and soup for breakfast before. Being a very picky eater, I rarely try anything new. But in Japan, I was determined to try everything. These home cooked breakfasts were the best meals we had on our trip.
Very good article! We are linking to this great post on our site.
Keep up the great writing.
Nice!
Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it’s really informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Awesome post.
Hi there! I just want to give you a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here
on this post. I will be coming back to your
web site for more soon.
The article on My Family Travels about Galveston being a great destination for family reunions is informative and inspiring. It highlights the various attractions and activities in Galveston that make it an ideal choice for bringing families together. From the beautiful beaches and historic sites to the family-friendly accommodations and dining options, Galveston offers something for everyone. The article also provides practical tips and suggestions for planning a successful family reunion, including recommendations for group activities and accommodations. The personal anecdotes and experiences shared by the author add a relatable touch and make the article engaging to read. If you’re considering organizing a family reunion, this article will certainly give you valuable insights and ideas for creating memorable moments with your loved ones in Galveston.
Great post.
I read this piece of writing fully about the difference of most recent
and previous technologies, it’s awesome article.
Excellent post – thank you – there is a lot to digest. We did the Alsace tour last year, which was fantastic, to tour the Rhine too. It is stunning in summer, which I hadn’t anticipated – I’ve always seen it in photos, beautiful in winter with the snow all around.
Great article. I took some ideas for a trip to Cambodia.
I always admire reading high-quality content, which I discovered in your post. I am quite grateful for this post.
I would also recommend other Kids friendly vacation safaris in Africa so that you can explore more areas
Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Many thanks
Awsome! Thank you for sharing.
A cruise like this is fantastic, taking in many beautiful ports and coasts, but what it misses, is the vast amount of country and culture that is further inland. While the coastal areas of Europe are stunning, a family would be missing out on a lot of experiences further inland, like Toulouse, lakes of Croatia and many more
Thankyou for this terrific post, I am glad I observed this website on yahoo.
We absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post’s to
be exactly I’m looking for. Does one offer guest writers to write content for you?
I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write regarding here.
Again, awesome web log!
Respect to post author, some fantastic information
Do you have any video of that? I’d love to find out more details.
Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo
News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Thanks
bookmarked!!, I like yor website!
When we travel on road trips, getting our cars maintained is always our top priority! It’s never predictable what’s going to happen on the road once our car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. It was a very informative read, as well as the tips that followed!
If you make it out to Key West, definitely try to eat at El Siboney Restaurant. They have delicious, authentic Cuban food. Would highly recommend.
Good information. Lucky me I recently found your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
I have saved as a favorite for later!
Appreciating the time and energy you put into your blog and
detailed information you offer. It’s great to come across a blog
every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material.
Excellent read! I’ve bookmarked your site and
I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.
Morocco is a colorfull country and there are many things to see and do.
This topic is very helpful. Exactly what I was looking for
What’s up, after reading this awesome article i am also delighted to share my familiarity here with mates.
Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was searching for!
Wohh exactly what I was looking for, appreciate it for posting.
Hi there, I discovered your website by means of Google while searching for a similar matter, your web site got here up, it looks good.
I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hi there, just changed into aware of your weblog thru Google, and found that it is really informative.
I’m going to be careful for brussels. I will appreciate in case you proceed this in future.
Lots of other folks will probably be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!