Xmas Briefs in Xining

Just a few days after doomsday, we have Xmas. 

Unable to come up with a coherent narrative for this most western of festivals on the cusp of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, I will summarise in a list of sorts:

• cutlets of bony fish
• half-knitted scarves
• sparklers on a stolen pine tree
• a blessed silversmith from Henan with his Mary Kay helper
• a four minus one cheese pizza
• a bastard freezing walk, a runaway bus and a disco taxi
• a lama playing fur ball
• three colours: cointreau and ORANGE, GREEN dropped in SILVER, and an apple in a box.

Gangnam Style in Xining

On a chilly Friday evening in Xining, a week before Xmas, a festive party was held for the foreign students and teachers of our university at one of the swankiest resorts in town, the 2-star Xining Hotel.

Oh, yes.

Staff had spent the night before decorating the main dining hall. A bemused santa stood in the doorway, and tinsel and balloons wobbled in the hot air spiralling up from the hot plates of the pink-faced noodle-makers. 

The backdrop to the stage was a map of the world with flags marking those countries from which the university could claim to have students and teachers.  I remember the Union Jack (of course), Ireland, and Sudan. 

If the size of the flag was in proportion to the number of students/teachers -- which it wasn't -- the South Korean Taegeukgi should have been a giant number. Most of our students are South Korean (and suspect missionaries) complete with children, tennis racquets, and of course the word of God. 

The Xmas Sacrificial Lamb

It was touching, as a lot of effort had gone into this party which was gloriously free of pomp and circumstance and the word "talent". 

Some of the foreigners performed but happily there was no national anthem or painful renditions of Tang Dynasty poetry. Instead we had a very hot Mongolian dancer, a very lovely pipa solo, African Gangnam Style and an appalling YMCA dance in which YMCA was inconceivably misspelled in body parts. 

The Hot Mongolian

When most of the guests had gone and the staff were beginning to clear away the dirty plates and smeared glasses, someone put Gangnam style back on. It sparked a wondrous free-for-all on the stage. A couple of the waitresses, who were clearly Gangnam stylees, got right into it -- sexy lady! Even our Tibetan teacher did a little horse trot which she skillfully morphed into the windmill style dance beloved of all Tibetans everywhere. One chef trotted across the stage to a burst of applause.

It brought tears to my eyes.

That's Gangnam Style for you. Xmas in Xining (part two!).

Xmas in Xining

It's not often you get a chance to alliterate Xining. 

While it's not uncommon to find Santa Claus and Christmas trees all year round in Xining -- tucked into corners, dusty and forlorn, baubles barely moving in the Qinghai-Plateau breeze, sad remnants of yesteryear -- as the holiday season approaches, upgrades are paraded for discerning shoppers and curious kids. 

Here are two recent sightings!

First, the freshest. This little fellow lives in the BHG Mall -- advertised as Xining's Beijing-style shopping mall. There's a modern cinema on the second floor -- only showing Chinese movies I believe -- while on the first floor are many of the chain fashion stores familiar to anyone in tier 1, 2, and 3 cities in China -- Vera Moda, Jack Jones and of course Hong Kong-owned chemist, Watson's. In the basement is a large posh supermarket which happily sells Spanish imported wine for RMB 70, Belgian fruit beer and that delicious brew, Hoegaarden, every monk's favourite tipple.

And as early as November, this festive display popped up in one of Xining's many branches of KFC (McDonald's has  yet to flip a burger here).

That's Xmas in Xining for you! (Part One!)