February 19th is Chinese New Year, which is called "Spring Festival".
Why? I have no idea, because it takes place during the dead of winter.
I did a photo shoot inspired by the weird, whimsical, and extravagant world of Wuxia. Wuxia stories are incredibly weird, strange, and off-the-wall.
This is my Wuxia Fusion of some Wuxia characters, like Dong Fang Bu Bai, if you are familiar with the Hong Kong films or TV shows like "The Swordsman".
If I were in China right now, like I was several times before, it would be all out crazy rackets, rows, and dins of noise, and pyromania. In China, during festivals, especially Spring Festival/New Year it's crazy! they call it "renao". It's not like anywhere else, where you can just go home, then you go somewhere to party, or relax, or celebrate... no. It's renao!
It's in the hallways, on the sidewalks, in the streets. If you go home, you can hear the incredibly loud voices of people, people singing opera EVERYWHERE. wild drinking parties, several banquets a day. And there is so much smoke from firecrackers, and fireworks, and you will NEVER see anything as spectacular in the sky like the fireworks in just the local towns.
You cannot exit the celebrations, because the festival is EVERYWHERE. The firecrackers only die down, and stop around 2-3:30 AM.... but, they will start back up whenever the first pyromaniac rouses from his sleep, anywhere from 4AM-5:30AM, and he will get up and set off more firecrackers. THEN, the other pyromaniacs will hear the first Pyro, and feel jealous, then they will get up, and try to be louder than the first guy. Then, they will all become a full-on insanely loud competition in the entire city over whom has the most, and the loudest firecrackers, and who is the MOST extreme pyromaniac! No sleep for YOU!
They NEVER run out out fire crackers, and often have stacks of large boxes to play with all month long. It will continue on like that all day, and all night, and goes on the entire month, and if it's a Festival period (lunar calender) where it stretches through from January and through Feb, you will have almost 2 full months of noise.
You will also have SO MUCH FOOD! Nuts, fruits, candies, etc. NO, not like Christmas. this is so extravagant that and so excessive that you will HATE FOOD, and HATE EATING! Everywhere you go, people peel apples, and oranges and give them to you. Bags & bags of nuts, and sunflower seeds. and, bags of chocolates imported from the West. Loads of fruit by the boxes from the Danwei.
And, so many dumplings, and handmade noodles, you will be sick of it...
Then, there's the banquets. Banquet, after banquet... and several per day.
HOW DO THEY EAT SO MUCH??? THEY ARE SO SKINNY!
You will get so fed up with banquets also... so much good food, THE BEST because it's New Year... but, just TOO MUCH that you can't take it anymore...
I recall becoming so fed up with banquets, that we went to Korean restaurants, or fast food, which is way Ritzier & far more expensive in China... and even that got old.
I love to eat meat... but, by the end of Spring Festival/New Year I would crave every kind of salad I could think of... and day dream about lettuce.
