Hello everyone! I’m back!!

Some of you may remember me from 2 weeks ago! Yes, I went to visit China, where I was born and raised (can you tell? :P) Now I am excited to share my adventures with you guys.

Disclaimer: Because I am kind of a Chinese person (I say “kind of”, because although I look and speak Chinese, I have a Canadian passport), and I am mostly visiting family in China, you won’t see much touristy stuff here! Instead, you might get a taste of what it is like to live in China as a Chinese person. And you might get to know a bit more about me 😉

Over the past 2 weeks, I visited two cities in China:

Shijiazhuang is my hometown. It is also the smoggiest city in China. (Shijiazhuang’er’s are almost proud of that. Almost :’) )

Weihai is where my grandparents (from my Mom’s side) live. It is also deemed the city that is most suitable for living in China.

Two very different cities, as you can tell. Today I will show you guys photos from Weihai, because it is the city that I travelled to in the first week of my vacation.

Weihai, China

Weihai is known for its beaches, blue skies, clean air, and seafood. It is a popular place for people from other parts of China to visit. People often dream of retiring in Weihai (for a good reason!) More photos of the shoreline later!

Two of the middle photos feature one of the many roadside food vendors. In the late mornings and early evenings, you may also spot groups of people crowded around a table on the sidewalk, playing Chinese chess.

I also want to introduce you guys to my co-travellers (aka. my family!) From the left to the right: Mom, Dad, and me. (I know, we all look the same age :P)

Did I mention that the seafood is amazing in Weihai?! This is one of my favourite photos. (Hint hint: Can you spot the baby crab inside the clam?!)

We also got to enjoy some amazing home-cooking (courtesy of my oh-so-amazing grandma <3). The dish featured here is called Zha Jiang Mian, which is a noodle dish topped with meat (usually pork) in a soybean paste, and some fresh vegetables (like cucumbers). Did I mention that my grandma makes all her noodles by hand?! This is one of my favourite Chinese dishes of all time.

One of my favourite activities was to visit the local farmer’s market, where vegetables, herbs, nuts, spices, etc, are sold fresh and at very reasonable prices. You guys get to see my grandma doing some epic bargaining in the photos above.

Okay, all right, we got to do one touristy thing in Weihai, and that is visiting the Ting Yuen exhibit. (Can you spot me in the line of soldiers?!) Ting Yuen was a battleship that was designed and built in the 1880s, with expertise from shipbuilders in the Great Britain and Germany. The ship participated in the Sino-Japanese war in 1894. (The above picture features a replica of the ship, as the actual Ting Yuen unfortunately did not survive the war.)

And as promised, one last photo of the beautiful shoreline. Oh! I also get to show you guys one of my favourite fall outfits! As you can see, I am a fan of red and navy blue. That handbag was purchased from a department store in Weihai when I visited 2 years ago (unfortunately the store doesn’t exist anymore!)

Where have you travelled to recently? Any future travel plans? Do you like home-cooking? What is a favourite dish from your own culture? What is your go-to fall outfit?