元旦联欢会 - New Year's Eve

Whilst the New Year that we, and indeed most of the world, celebrate pales into insignificance when compared with 春节 Chinese New Year here, a group of our members were determined not to let that stop the revelry. So, to picturesque 阳朔 Yangshuo we went...

Continuing to organise things in the city will, hopefully, encourage others to do the same in the future and, although the Chinese seem pretty slow on the uptake, the foreign contingent has already put together a number of their own events. So, while I can't claim credit for organising this trip, I was really glad to be a part of it. Especially as last new year was a bit of a washout. In total, 11 of of us travelled to Yangshuo, a stunningly beautiful town set on the banks of the 漓江 Lijiang River, surrounded by amazing karst mountains.

I'd be lying if I said that drinking to excess wasn't on the agenda and Yangshuo doesn't disappoint. Well, actually, it disappoints if you're looking for tasteful or classy places to go. During the day, it masquerades as a quaint mountain town but, at night, it plays host to a multitude of bars and nightclubs. However, despite its worldwide reputation, the entertainment is still very much aimed at Chinese tourists and their tastes are somewhat different from ours, to put it diplomatically. That said, there are a lot of places to party packed closely together along pedestrianised streets, which is something that can't be said for Liuzhou.

Both nights out resulted in what the Chinese might describe as everyone managing to 吃喝玩乐, roughly "eat, drink and be merry". As with all the best parties, it's best to say that what happened in Yangshuo, stays in Yangshuo. But I'll put up a selection of (family friendly) photos and videos of the event for posterity's sake.

If you'd like to get involved, please contact us via email; whether you're living here or just visiting, we've got a whole community of people waiting to meet you. Also, if you're interested in living in a place like Liuzhou, which allows you to travel to nearby world-renowned destinations like Yangshuo, check out our Facebook page. As mentioned in a previous post, we have a new business in the pipeline and we look forward to welcoming some enthusiastic English teachers to our brand new school! Competitive salaries and a great working environment await.

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烧烤 - BBQ

Whilst Brits tend towards pubs and bars for their evening socialising, the locals in Liuzhou go to the 烧烤 BBQ to chat and drink late into the night. These restaurants are on roadsides throughout the city and, given the great weather in summer here, provide the best opportunity for some al fresco dining with Chinese characteristics. By all means go to the BBQ for your main meal but many locals, after having dinner at home or elsewhere, descend on these restaurants for 宵夜, which roughly translates as a "midnight snack". Sitting outside on benches or yellow plastic chairs, you'll see dozens of tables packed with people eating 烤鱼 BBQ fish, 串 skewers of meat and veg, 炒米粉 fried rice noodles and other specialities. As well as the regular BBQ stalls, there are also some speciality places, including our favourite Mongolian style restaurant which serves up the most amazing lamb legs and ribs. Sitting in 30 degree heat at 11pm, eating amazing food, drinking cold, cheap, wate...

啤酒在中国－ Beer in China

Summers in Guangxi are long and hot so you're going to need to keep your fluids up; beer is scientifically proven to be the best way to do this. Besides, spirits and wine are best avoided in Chinese bars and I highly recommend staying away from the local poison of choice, 白酒 white alcohol, the taste of which could generously be described as somewhere between vodka and paint stripper. So here's a quick guide about what to drink when you're in Liuzhou... As well as better known Chinese mass produced beers such as 青岛 Qingdao and 雪花 Snow, the most popular brand in Liuzhou is 漓泉啤酒 LiQ Beer from nearby Guilin. They have a few types available, including 漓泉1998 and 漓泉新1代纯生, which are their premier offerings. The 1998 variety appears to celebrate a visit to the province 20 years ago by ex US president Bill Clinton and includes a patently false quote from the man himself (I'm fairly sure Clinton didn't speak Chinglish). Whilst the taste is definitely not on a par wit...

帆船 - Sailing

One of the great things about Liuzhou Meet & Learn is the variety of people that get involved; not just in terms of nationality (though we have members from nearly 20 different countries) but in terms of people's backgrounds, employment and interests. One of our members is a sailing fanatic and president of the local sailing club, allowing us the opportunity to go sailing on the 柳江 Liujiang river as it winds it's way through Liuzhou. Following a late decision to get out on the water, due to an earlier thunderstorm, we made our way to the riverside at 3:30pm. Though the rain had moved on, the high winds remained and, coupled with decent cloud cover, made for perfect sailing conditions. This being China, where they aren't huge on health and safety, we got just two pieces of advice before setting off: 1) the boat can't capsize, so don't worry; 2) keep your head lower than the bottom of the sail. Right, off we go! All in all, it was a fantastic afternoon...

Liuzhou Meet & Learn

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