What to Do About China's New Year Yang?

Confusion surrounds the identity of this year's Chinese zodiac symbol. Chris Buckley succinctly explained why:

The reason is that the word for the eighth animal in the Chinese zodiac’s 12-year cycle of creatures, yang in Mandarin, does not make the distinction found in English between goats and sheep and other members of the caprinae subfamily. Without further qualifiers, yang might mean any such hoofed animal that eats grass and bleats. And so Chinese news media outlets have butted heads for days on what to call this year in English, recruiting experts to pass judgment.

Some claim the answer can be found in which animal was bred or eaten first in China. I am not clear what that logic says about other Zodiac creatures such as the monkey or dragon.

Others believe the answer depends on region:

Fang Binggui, a folklorist based in southeast China's Fuzhou City, says the image of the zodiac Yang is open to regional interpretation. "People depict the zodiac animal based on the most common Yang in their region. So it's often sheep in the north while goats in the south."

Fang's explanation matches up with another north-south regional difference: the Japanese zodiac specifies the animal to be a sheep while the Vietnamese zodiac specifies the animal to be a goat.

Based on what I have seen during the past month, though, it doesn't appear there is universal agreement on what to use even within individual cities in southern China. While not necessarily representative, photos I took in four Chinese cities — Chongqing in the southwest and Macau, Zhuhai, and Zhongshan in the southeast — at least provide a taste of the variety which can be found there. The photos include Lunar New Year displays, signs, or artwork I happened to notice, most often in shopping areas, public squares, or parks. After the photos, I will share brief thoughts on how I will be handling the zodiacal challenge.

Sometimes the choice of animal is expressed in English. Some of the animals are easy to identify. Other are more challenging. One has wings.

A bit of the new year spirit in Chongqing:

Alongside the Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street

A pedestrian bridge in Yangjiaping

Inside the SML Central Square shopping center

Outside the Sunshine Mall

Above the Guanyinqiao Pedestrian Street

Door at Shenghui Plaza

At Haitang Yanyu Park

Also at Haitang Yanyu Park

Across the street from the Chongqing Zoo

Inside the SM City shopping mall

Inside the Starlight 68 Plaza shopping mall

Macau:

In Taipa Village

Also in Taipa Village

Inside the Shoppes at Venetian

At Largo do Senado (Senate Square)

At the Portas do Cerco (border crossing point with Zhuhai)

A lobby inside the Galaxy Macau resort

In Coloane Village

Also in Coloane Village

Zhuhai:

In front of Gongbei Port (border crossing point with Macau)

At the New Yuan Ming Palace

Also at the New Yuan Ming Palace

At the underground Port Plaza shopping center

Inside the Vanguard supermarket in Gongbei

In Zhongshan:

Outside Yu Yip Plaza

Outside of the Central Power Plaza shopping mall

My take? If people are using all these different animals in China, and they all count as yangs, why not just go along with it? The trick then is what to say in English. Perhaps it is time, as the earlier sentence suggests, for another loanword in English — "yang". Yes, there is already "yin and yang", but English is comfortable with homonyms, and it would help address English's "trade imbalance" with loanwords.

But if I have to choose an animal more specific than all yangs, although I am tempted by the Tibetan antelope, I have decided to go with the goat if for no other reason than I have seen several live goats recently.

Goat near a familiar-looking statue at Foreigner's Street in Chongqing

Goats at the New Yuan Ming Palace in Zhuhai

Now I just need to figure out which type of goat.

Another Lunar New Year 羊

Happy Lunar New Year, Spring Festival, Chinese New Year, or whatever you like to call it.

Lunar New Year Greetings in Portuguese and Cantonese at Largo do Senado (Senate Square) in Macau

And Happy Year of the  . . . 羊.

Is it goat, ram, or sheep in English? Can I go with something else, like an antelope or gazelle?

People can have strong differing opinions about the answers to these questions. Some thoughts on them tomorrow.

Dog Teeth For Sale in Chongqing and Online

Roughly between the center of the Jiefangbei shopping district and Chaotianmen in Chongqing, one day I noticed a woman selling some interesting items.

Two days later in the same area, I saw a man selling similar items.

I asked the woman if those were dog heads in front of her, and she said they were. I asked the man if those were wolf heads in front of him, and he said they were. Both followed up their answers with comments that left me a bit confused though. After some online research, I believe they were explaining that the heads and teeth for sale in front of them were from wolf-dogs, an animal which I did not know much about at the time.

Wolf-dogs, as their name suggests, are a mix of wolf and dog. Wolf-dogs can have varying degrees of "wolfness" and "dogness" in terms of genes and behavior, and there are disagreements over what should be labeled as a wolf-dog. One type of wolf-dog, the Kunming Dog, was bred in China. PetYourDog has a description of the breed:

The Kunming Dog is a wolf dog that originated in China in early 1950s. The purpose for its development was to create a military dog for the Chinese army. Several breeds of dogs as well as several cross breeds were involved in this dogs' gene pole but most of the breeds used are unknown. . . .

It has exceptional and proven working capabilities and the dog is gaining popularity among common people as a family companion. This rare dog needs early age socialization and obedience training. A well trained and socialized Kunming Dog will make very good family pet; one that gets along well with children and treat them as its masters. This breed generally gets along well with other dogs and pets in the family. With proper training and socialization, this rare breed of dogs can be an exciting addition to a family.

The Dog Breed Info Center says that Kunming Dogs can "make excellent pets".

So it is possible what I saw came from animals that I suspect many people would consider to be dogs, even if it is technically accurate to describe them as wolf-dogs.

News articles about people in China selling items similar to what I saw can be found here, here, and here (all in Chinese and all include images). In those cases, the teeth are described as coming from dogs. The articles explain that some people believe dog teeth ward off evil spirits. Also, sellers can be concerned their products will be perceived as fakes — a reason to display dog heads.

If you want to buy dog (or wolf-dog or wolf) teeth, you do not need to visit a seller in person. It is easy to find sellers online. For example, on Alibaba's Taobao, a Chinese website similar to eBay, one seller offers jewelry made with teeth from the Tibetan Mastiff, a domestic dog.

And Alibaba's related site which targets online buyers outside of China, AliExpress, also offers plenty of dog teeth options, including one seller offering "vintage fashion".

Want to instead use a U.S. online site to buy your dog teeth? eBay has a few options, including a bracelet.

I don't know whether the sellers I've mentioned are selling what they say they are. But given how often I see restaurants in China with dog meat on the menu, I wouldn't be surprised by genuine dog teeth being readily available.

Many questions come to mind, but I don't plan to dig more deeply into dog teeth sales, something I have come across far less often in China than seeing people with their pet dogs. However, one day I will get around to commenting on the practice of eating dog meat and sharing some of what I have seen.

Hanging in Chonging

The post I have in mind for which the photos of dogs in Chongqing could provide some context is still not ready. You may now feel as if I have left you hanging in midair, but you probably don't feel exactly like this:

The moment in the above photo took place on an amusement ride at Foreigners' Street in Chongqing. Likely none of the people in the photo are foreigners, which, strange as it may seem based on the name, would be representative of most of Foreigners' Street. Someday I will share more about a place not quite like anything else I have seen in this world — something else to leave you hanging.

A Pet Cat in Chongqing

What I had expected to post today requires a bit more time. So instead, I will share something to provide another type of contrast to yesterday's light post about pet dogs in Chongqing.

I met the friendly cat on scenic Mountain City Lane today. Based on the cat's behavior and the collar it wore, it seemed likely to be somebody's pet.

More tomorrow . . .

Pet Dogs in Chongqing

During the past month in Chongqing, I have seen many dogs as I have explored the city. Here are a few of them:

Walking next to Songshi Avenue

Keeping an eye on another dog near People's Park

Sitting on a bench near the Hongsheng Cultural Square

Outside at the SML Central Square shopping mall

Guarding a home not far from Liziba Park

Taking advantage of an armrest in the Gulou Lane historical area

Like the dog is the last photo above, some wore coats or other clothing. This is my favorite one so far:

One of about 10 dogs hanging out together in Jiefangbei

Perhaps someday I will discover the secret chips of love.

Whatever my future holds, in all of the above cases I am fairly confident the dogs were pets, even though apparent strays aren't uncommon to see. And none of this is unusual for Chongqing. It is easy to see people with their pet dogs.

No deeper points at the moment. Mostly, I just wanted to provide some context for an upcoming post.

Mannequin Takes a Selfie in Chongqing

Last year I shared photos of mannequins along a street in Yangjiang. Yesterday, in front of displays for Casio products at the Times Paradise Walk shopping mall in Chongqing, another mannequin caught my attention.

A sign of the times . . .

A Man Spa in China

Yesterday while walking down Honghuang Road in Chongqing, I saw a "Man Spa".

The cartoon character on the left side of the sign is a special touch. I did not visit this establishment nor can I say for sure what occurs there. Nonetheless, it brought to mind a recent article by James Palmer on ChinaFile:

Perhaps the spa in the small-town Shandong hotel where I was dining with a cluster of businessmen and officials was an entirely legitimate establishment, and I was misreading the nature of the invitation. But the neon sign outside advertising the “Health Body Center” (康体中心) had replaced the upper strokes in the character 心 with flashing red hearts.

“Health Body” is an approximation; I was sloshed on baijiu, the near-undrinkable spirit ubiquitous at social events, and my memory of the evening is dubious. I had been doing the rounds of provincial cities as my boss’ token foreigner for the whole summer, though, pitching training courses to the dim children of the rich so that they could study at foreign universities, and the routine of hard drinking followed by a group excursion to a brothel was becoming a familiar one. My status as a foreigner was enough to excuse me from the sex itself after only a light barrage of gay jokes from the others, but not from the social obligations around it.

For much more, read "The Bro Code — Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China". It captures a very real side of China.

A Hillside Walk in Chongqing

An old man lower down the hill told me to turn left when I had a choice. It worked out pretty well.

"Made in the U.S.A." at a Walmart in Chongqing

In the U.S., Walmart is known for selling many "Made in China" products. Not surprisingly, many products at Walmarts in China are also manufactured in China. So I find it notable when I see a "Made in the U.S.A." product for sale at a Walmart in China.

Today at a Walmart in Chongqing, I noticed such a product.

Ocean Spray's Craisins were clearly marked as a U.S. product, although they are packaged in New Zealand — quite a trip. 16.8 yuan (about US $2.70) for 170 grams seemed like a fair deal in China. I bought a bag, since I hadn't had Craisins in a long time. But it turns out I didn't get as good of a deal as I could have if I had wanted a lot of Craisins.

Only online at Tmall, Costco currently sells a 1360 gram bag (HT Charles Liu) for 69 yuan, about 37% cheaper per gram. Costco began selling products on Tmall to people in mainland China last October. According to the Tmall page, Costco's Craisins first go through Taiwan before reaching anyone in mainland China. These are especially well-traveled American Craisins.

A View of a Massive City in China

During the past few weeks as I have seen more and more of Chongqing, I have struggled with how to best express its incredible size. Today I contemplated a view where haze obscured much, many tall buildings appeared deceptively small, and entire urban areas lay out of sight. Much seemed to be missing, but of all the views I have seen it most displayed Chongqing's immensity and density.

So below are a series of photos which show what you would see looking approximately northeast and then moving around in a counter-clockwise direction (towards the left side of the photos) atop the Kansheng Building* in Eling Park. Most of the photos overlap a small amount, with the largest gap existing between the sixth and seventh photos. As usual, all can be clicked for larger versions. In the future, I will "zoom in" on a few areas, in some cases highlighting how much more Chongqing plans to grow.

*Many online sites use the names "Liangjiang Pavilion" or "Kansheng Pavilion". Both the 5 yuan ticket I bought to go up to the top and the park's online map use "瞰胜楼". The map translates this as "Kansheng Building", which seems reasonable. 

Obama Sits Happily on a Bench in Chongqing

As I approached a restaurant which serves local-style food in Chongqing, I paused for a moment when I saw who was sitting in front of the restaurant's entrance.

A group of Chinese later left the restaurant exclaiming "Obama!". A few had their photos taken while sitting on the bench. A server at the restaurant identified the statue as President Barack Obama. She said it was not theirs but was owned by the touristy complex where the restaurant can be found.

Obama may be pleased by this. Not only did he once sit on a bench with Chinese President Xi Jinping and give it to him, but he may see the Chongqing bench as indicative of a type of influence the U.S. has in China that China has less of in the U.S.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza