Chinese New Year 2003

For the first time I went to China during Chinese New Year. I was pretty excited, and I had a great time there. However, I must say I had expected something slightly different from the Chinese New Year. I had expected a lot of festivities, parades etc., but I saw nothing of that - Chinese New Year is like the Danish Christmas or the America Thanksgiving, where time is spend with the family. Naturally there were fireworks and fire crackers as well, as red paper cuts on the windows and doors, but that was about it.

We went to visit Helen grandma and uncle in Tianjin. Helen parents were also visiting so we had a good time with the family - lots of good food. We also spend a day in Beijing, where we went to see some of the sites. However, it is cold in Beijing and Tianjin, so we did not go outside that much.

The last couple of days we spend in Shanghai, where we went to the only state part in Shanghai.

Yes, there is a lot of fireworks one can buy

Helen at a gift fruit stand

Entrance to market in Tianjin

Your can find a lot of interesting things in the market

This is what he made

Same thing made out of candy

We also found one of our favorite restaurants in the Bay Area here - it is a Taiwanese chain.

Typical Chinese New Year decoration

Helen's uncle cooking for us.

Here we are waiting for food at Helen's uncle and grandma's place

It was worth the wait

Helen with her uncle's family

Fireworks in the middle of the street

We also went out to eat - nice food there as well

Interesting concept - fish boiled in soup by use of hot stones

Everyone (except me) in the restaurant

This is one of the fireworks we bought

Helen's dad holding fireworks out the window

The 5th day is the day of most fireworks - you have to create attention for the god to come and brig you wealth

Here is a decoration at the main walking street in Tianjin

Us at another dragon display

Helen's parents and Helen's grandma

Another picture of Helen's grandma

We also went to Beijing - here we are at Tiananmen square

A lot of people in the forbidden city. Helen had not been there before

Another picture from the forbidden city

The trees are old in the forbidden city - they need help :-)

Yet another picture from the forbidden city

View from the exit of the forbidden city

Here we are in a park close to the forbidden city.

Another picture from the park - not the sign and what is happening behind. Typical Chinese

Here we are at the nine dragon wall in the park

Nice picture on the way home from Beijing - the train station

We went to another seafood restaurant - here we are selecting the fish we were going to eat

All of us at the restaurant

It was good food there as well

Helen and I with Helen's grandma

Helen and I with her parents

Interesting flour store we encountered on the way back from the restaurant

Helen in the only state park in Shanghai

There is a bird cage there - with peacocks among other birds

A white peacock

View from the top of the mountain in the park

Helen at one of the towers in the park

Another picture of Helen in a bell tower