Qibao

During my day off last Tuesday I went with Krit, Tanya and Tanya’s family to visit Qibao.  Qibao (pronounced CHEE-bow) is an ancient water township that survived the fast urbanization of Shanghai and is located about 12 miles from the center of the city.  The town was built during the Northern Song Dynasty (960AD-1126AD) and has a very Old World feel.  Krit lived there a year ago and loved it, she was eager to take us to see her old stomping grounds.

 Unlike a lot of the buildings in the major cities, the ones in Qibao are actually the originals

 Qibao street

 Streetside fruit market

 Chicken eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs and more!  Eggs are very big in Chinese cuisine

Mixing mortar on the street corner, cellphones being sold in the glass case on the right

Chinese alleyway 

Dumplings being cooked, dumpling lady texting on her iphone

 

 I was pretty sure these are braised pigs feet, then Krit pointed out that the one on the far right looks like a paw?  Who knows...

 Chicks on a stick

I can't even begin to tell you how many baby birds on a stick I've seen since I moved to China

A typical bird market where you can get poultry to kill and cook for dinner.  Ducks, chickens, geese, quail, and…pigeons? 

I saw this and said, “Hmm I wonder how times I’ve unknowingly eaten pigeon in the last month.” 

Krit:  Weren’t you with us when we went into that restaurant by Jing’an Temple that served all pigeon meat?

Me: No!  How did you know it was pigeon?

Krit: Because it said it on the menu.  Pigeon dumplings, noodles with pigeon…

 Little girl, sitting on the street corner doing her homework

 Krit told Tanya's boys that there was a pet store in Qibao that she's take them to.  A pet store??  I've seen lots of people with pet cats and dogs, but I haven't seen a pet store in Shanghai.  I laughed when we got there and it was more of a pet kiosk.  Turtles, mice, salamanders, fish, and canaries for sale.

Baked quail eggs

"Latte Embryo Tea"  I don't even know...let's hope it's a translation error

There are cricket fighting matches here and I've read that Qibao is know for breeding the fiercest crickets :)  I'd like to return and see a match.

 China can be breathtaking or it can be revolting.  I feel like there's something astounding to see every 10 steps.  And it's hard to comprehend how ancient lifestyles can exist within an ultra modern city like Shanghai.  When I'm on the subway I gawk at the super trendy clothing everyone wears, and then when I step onto the street I'm startled by a woman carrying a goose in her backpack.  At first I felt like I was experiencing what it might be like to move to Mars, and now I feel more like I'm the alien.  I love it here, it's endlessly exciting.  But I wonder if it can ever feel like home.            

Happy Birthday, Krit!