中国 (China in Mandarin) literally means "the Middle Kingdom". It makes sense when you think about how old China is. With all that they created and accomplished, they were the middle of the world for quite some time.

As per @ackza's suggestion, I will share photos of "everyday life" here in China. I will do my best to show things you can't see in the west and these truly will be random as ever. Before I start, many of these photos were taken on my IPhone 4GS. It's old. It's survived being fully submerged in a pond and I've dropped it at least 200 times (not exaggerating). With that said, don't expect professional photographer quality.

A Glimpse into China

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White Yak - Taken on the way to Jiuzhaigou. I was told one of these animals is worth $10,000.

Taken in Xi'an - China's first capital city. This was in the muslim quarter and these two men are making sesame snaps. They timed it just right so they would take turns pounding with their wooden hammers.

Chengdu Lantern Festival - Chengdu is where the pandas are if you didn't know. This is a form of Tibetan dance. As you can see they all have extra long sleeves. I was mesmerized by how graceful they were.



Bustlin' streets of Qingdao, a coastal city. Notice the truck full of fruit. You'll see that a lot here. Also notice the little ice cream coolers. There is ice cream everywhere here and it's super cheap (as low as 50 cents).

Had to keep this full size to show how enormous it is. Taken in Shandong province in the capital city Jinan. This is a place called "Thousand Buddha Mountain", this being the largest of them all.

Taken in Hangzhou at the famous "West Lake". One MAJOR difference between China and the west is the community feel. When people have free time, they go outside. Nobody is afraid of one another and you'll see people just enjoying what the cities have to offer. In this particular picture, the trio is performing with Chinese traditional instruments. The one in the middle is called an Erhu (二胡). Wish I could tell you what the others are but I have no idea!

Another photo illustrating the community vibe here. You'll often see older men playing Chinese chess and there will ALWAYS be a group of spectators mulling around puffing on cigarettes.

Chinese New Years in Hong Kong. HK is considered a "Special Administrative Zone" of China but there are some extreme differences. For example, they have different currency and the internet is uncensored. The Gucci sign in the background is very telling as China is full of luxury shopping malls and it's a blend of the old and the new.

If you've made it this far...thanks for reading!

Eitsky