Liuzhou Meet & Learn

The last week has been unseasonably cold and this, coupled with the incessant rain, has meant we've had to come up with new ideas for things to do indoors. This isn't the first games night I've been to in Liuzhou but it was the most fun... First, we had to come up with a suitable games list for the 11 attendees so, in order of simplest to most complex: Jenga, Heads Up and The Werewolves of Millers Hollow were on the menu. I'd never played The Werewolves of Millers Hollow before but it was a bit of a revelation, especially when I found out that you can play in a group of up to 47 people. I think the game is probably better as the number of players increases so hopefully we'll have more people in attendance next time to join in. We met at 窑埠古镇 Yaobu Old Town, a (somewhat counterintuitively) brand new development of bars, restaurants, shops and cafes along the riverfront. Our venue of choice was unexpectedly closed for the evening but, this being Liuzhou, there...

Famous for being the busiest travel week of the year, when foreign residents who've spent any period of time in China will tell you to stay at home to avoid the crowds, 国庆节 National Day, or 黄金周 Golden Week, is a public holiday where seemingly the entire country leaves their villages and crowds into the cities and popular travel destinations. I experienced the holiday last year and, as such, decided to stay in Liuzhou this time, to avoid (not entirely successfully) being jostled and gawped at by tens of thousands of farmers. Besides, one of our members at Liuzhou Meet & Learn has some connections within the local tourism department and wanted some foreign volunteers to be taken around the city to attend the various events taking place. So, four members from our group set off to be photographed doing everything from walking around, to eating noodles, to being force fed tea by members of the local ethnic minority groups. One thing that is so seductive about living in a sm...

Everyone loves KTV. Everyone. If you don't like sitting in a dark, enclosed space, listening to your friends murdering classic mandopop hits at ear splitting volume, there has to be something wrong with you. I've heard people ask what the point of learning to read Chinese is, what with the use of pinyin as a phonetic system, and the ability to use your phone to translate text. The answer is obvious: if you can't read characters, how will you sing Chinese songs at KTV? In China, and across Asia, KTV culture is huge and, if you want to engage with life here, learning to sing a couple of songs in the local language will get you a lot of kudos. At Liuzhou Meet & Learn, we organise regular KTV evenings, and I'm always surprised by how good people are at singing, particularly our local Chinese members - unfortunately, us foreigners don't always hold up our end of the bargain and I've witnessed some performances that made my ears bleed. I admit to bei...

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...

One of the great things about living in a smaller city like Liuzhou is that the countryside is never too far away; it's so easy to get away from the city and relax. The Chinese say 民以食为天 which could be roughly translated as "food is the god of the people" and this really stresses how important a part of the culture food is here - it permeates all aspects of life in a way which could never happen in the UK. Most social activities revolve around food so, when the weather is good, what could be better than going to one of the nearby national parks to have a BBQ with friends? Luckily, the local government here provides 烧烤场 spaces for residents to BBQ surrounded by the stunning local scenery. At Liuzhou Meet & Learn, we chose 三门江国家森林公园 Sanmenjiang National Forest Park which is to the east of the city. Building on our previous success, our second big BBQ event had more than 30 members in attendance and it was a great afternoon. On the menu this time, an obscene amount...

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...

Ephesians 5:18 says: "and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit." If you've ever been drinking in China, you'll likely doubt the word of god here and agree that it's best to stay away from the spirits - they're almost certainly fake! Actually, and as if you needed another excuse to hit the beers, remember that wine in China is generally fake as well. I'm not sure where I was going with that quote. Anyway, founded around 4 months ago, Liuzhou Meet & Learn has quickly become the biggest and liveliest social event in Liuzhou. Whilst definitely not debaucherous, there are certainly some drinks to be had every Saturday night at our regular meeting. We have over 30 attendees every week, and a total membership of nearly 100 people, ready to meet new local and foreign friends, to share their language, their thoughts and more. When we first arrived in the city, we found there wasn't really an opportunity f...

China has many odd food combinations, 奶盖茶 'cheese tea' or putting mayonnaise on fruit salad（水果沙拉和沙拉酱）for example, but 榴莲比萨 Durian Pizza is one of the strangest. Full disclosure before we start: I'm a huge fan of durian. However, even I wasn't convinced by this idea before I took my first, heavenly bite. If you're not familiar with Durian, it's regarded by many people in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits". It's famous for its pungent smell: although some consider it sweet and delicious, most people find it disgusting. In countries where the fruit is common, it is banned from public transport and many hotels due to the stomach turning aroma - check out these signs from Thailand and Singapore.   Pizza in China is a bit of a misnomer, given that it normally bears little resemblance to the Italian variety. Finding a standard pepperoni here is a challenge, and you're far more likely to see bizarre toppings like 香芒紫薯 'mango & purple...

I'll be the first to admit that I am probably not the most suitable person to be writing this post, due primarily to my advancing years and fading memories of youthful nights spent at Bagley's and Camden Palace. Incidentally, when your reference points for a night out are warehouse raves that were closed down more than a decade ago, you're probably not in a position of authority to talk about the modern EDM scene. The Chinese call outdated references such as these 暴露年纪 which means they "expose your age". Regardless, here I am. The nightclub scene in Liuzhou is a big part of the lives of some of our members, and many of the local people here, so who am I to dismiss it? The undoubted king of nightclubs in Liuzhou is 上上 "Song & Song" which is open every evening until the early hours. Serving up a music selection that varies from EDM to EDM via a bit more EDM, it is rammed every night of the week, in contrast to many other late night establishm...

On a normal weekend, as I sit forlorn watching yet another disappointing Chelsea performance, I am literally the only person in the pub showing any interest in football whatsoever. However, these last two weeks have seen an explosion of interest in football and wall-to-wall media coverage; although China has not gone to the World Cup, World Cup fever has definitely come to China. Every single BBQ restaurant and bar has dug out their projector and set themselves up as a venue for watching the World Cup, Chinese fans inexplicably cheer excitedly at random incidents on screen, and get unreasonably angry at the diving and playacting to which seasoned watchers of the Premier League have become accustomed. Sitting outside and being able to eat great BBQ food among the excitement and noise has definitely been a highlight of this World Cup for me, as England are yet to give us much to cheer about. [Edit: this was written before the 6-1 victory over Panama!] There is a somewhat d...

Despite a majority of Chinese people having zero interest in football, Liuzhou is currently in a state of world cup fever. This was somewhat confusing, until it was pointed out that, whilst the locals aren't interested in football as such, they do like betting money on it. The world cup sweepstake seems to take place in every single British workplace at this time every four years so, in keeping with the local passion for gambling, we decided to bring this very British tradition to the south west of China. In the absence of a Chinese presence at the finals, and for a modest 10元 (£1.17), the people of Liuzhou can have a stake in this world cup and, just possibly, something to cheer about. The prize for the champions is 200元 (£23.50) with 120元 (£14) going to the runner up. We drew lots at our regular Saturday evening meeting on 16th June. I wasn't overly happy with getting Mexico but, after their wonderful win over Germany on Sunday, things are looking more positive. Come o...