China Ethnographic Expedition II. Part II. HarbinMapNovember 11, 2015 HarbinMap![]() My dream suitcase sailed past on the conveyor belt. When they issue your luggage tag they usually put the two barcode stickers on different parts of the suitcase. The reason for that is that the bags are sorted automatically using lasers, which have to locate the suitcase and dispatch it in the right direction. That’s why when you check your luggage the girl at the check-in counter typically recommends that you remove all of the old stickers, so that your bag doesn’t end up flying to the other end of the world. But not only does this guy not peel off his stickers, he actually collects them. He’s defying the system, big thumbs up to him. ![]() They checked whether the numbers on our luggage tags matched the ones on the bags for the first time just as we were leaving the airport. This is standard practice in places where luggage theft is common. Then we boarded a bus. Our suitcases were chained up in the luggage hold below and we were issued keys on an elastic band, just like at the swimming pool. It would appear that luggage theft is actually a serious problem in Harbin. ![]() Fires burn on pedestrian crossings in the city centre. ![]() They’re literally all over the city. ![]() It turns out that these are our old pals — ritual incinerations of special paper money in honour of the departed. The smoke from the burning money will waft over into the afterlife, where it might come in useful for the deceased. And as there’s a new moon tonight, they’re burning A4 money. Carts selling wads of these notes are parked nearby. The fires blaze all night long. ![]() Harbin turned out to be a truly magical city. ![]() My impressions were coloured by the pleasant chill, the spectacular aspect of the air, and these mushrooms. ![]() In essence, Harbin is a Russian city. The architecture, the spirit of the place, and the layout are certainly Russian. In that sense it is miles ahead of a hundred- odd other Chinese cities, which, for the most part, are soulless and faceless. ![]() Courtyards just like the ones back home. ![]() Familiar-looking streets. ![]() Familiar courtyards. ![]() As well as distinctly familiar silhouettes. ![]() This is also very beautiful. ![]() All of the electrical cabinets and electrical rooms in the city have been transformed into artworks. ![]() Their imagination knows no bounds. ![]() The waterfront. ![]() The park that runs along the waterfront is called “Stalin Park”. Stalin is no longer here, only the name remains. ![]() A crowd of Chinese accosted us, all of them wanting a photo with the ghostly foreigners. ![]() Harbin is splendid, primarily thanks to its town planning. It’s a pleasure to stroll around Harbin — there aren’t many Chinese cities you can say that about. ![]() Views just like back home, right down to the last detail. ![]() The fog and the chill have made the city inordinately more charming. It’s entirely possible that it’s not as nice in the summertime. ![]() * * * This is our third day in a row driving around and nature-gazing in China, inspecting Unesco cultural and natural heritage sites, observing different types of fog and hanging out together. The Chinese couldn’t care less about respecting proportions in images and on signs. That’s why there are images distorted to fit the required format hanging on every corner, and yet no one feels any pangs of conscience. ![]() Morning at the hostel. ![]() Asya. She said that she doesn’t like how she looks in this photo. ![]() Asya feeding kefir to a rubbish bin in a Shaolin temple. ![]() Expedition selfie taken in a panoramic mirror. ![]() A guy selling calligraphy up in the mountains. He looks like an NKVD officer straight out of the movies, ruthless and biased, sealing people’s fates with a single stroke of a pen on an official document. ![]() Footpath in the mountains. ![]() The Chinese are not fussy when it comes to eating out while out hiking. A plate is inserted into a plastic bag, into which they pour noodles and toppings. Once you’ve finished eating, they throw away the old bag and put a new one over the unsullied plate, which is then given to the next customer. ![]() Lighting candles in a Buddhist temple. ![]() Asya. ![]() Twenty-metre-tall Buddhas, carved into the cliffs over a thousand years ago. ![]() Liza preparing to purchase couchette car tickets. ![]() Nighttime foodstall next to the train station. ![]() Asya said she really likes how she looks in this one. ![]() Walking down a Chinese street from the train station to the hostel, in the rain. A fruit vendor walks past. ![]() Supposedly these mountains were in the movie “Avatar”. Truth be told, none of it was filmed here, yet the mountains are splendid, nonetheless. ![]() Probably the most beautiful cable railway in the world. ![]() The view isn’t too shabby either. Although the most beautiful bit is concealed by the fog. ![]() |
october
|
november
|
november 2015
ChinaEthnoExp II. Part II
← Ctrl →
|
november
|
november
|
© 19952025 Artemy Lebedev |