Motorbike Phone Calls in Hengyang

The Hengxiang Bridge offers an excellent opportunity to appreciate Hengyang's "traffic culture" and the variety of vehicles used there.

It also offers an excellent opportunity to observe some real-life mobile phone usage in Hengyang. On that note, here are four photos I took as I crossed the bridge one afternoon:

In all four cases, a person was using their mobile phone while driving a motorbike. The above capture most, but not all, of the examples I saw.

Later as I walked back across the bridge, I saw one man park his bike in the dedicated bike lane and then have a phone conversation as he stood on the sidewalk.

And finally, tying it all together in what felt like a brief magical moment, I saw a man using a mobile phone while he rode by and looked at a woman who had stopped to use a mobile phone.

It is a just a small period of time and only a single location. But if representative, it suggests a large number of people in Hengyang are willing to use their phones while driving a motorbike, at least under some conditions. And much else could be learned, better appreciated, or questioned at this single bridge in Hengyang.

To See or be Seen in Hengyang

Some of the seats at the Starbucks in Hengyang, Hunan:

The view may not seem special, but that doesn't have to be the point.

Tasting Something Local: Lemon Cheesecake Oreos

As reported in USA Today earlier this week:

[A Colorado mother] packed her 5-year-old daughter a ham and cheese sandwich, string cheese and a 4-pack of Oreos on Friday. The child came back home from Children's Academy with the Oreos and a note from her teacher which read, in part:

"Dear Parents, it is very important that all students have a nutritious lunch. This is a public school setting and all children are required to have a fruit, a vegetable and a heavy snack from home, along with a milk. If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it. Lunchables, chips, fruit snacks, and peanut butter are not considered to be a healthy snack. This is a very important part of our program and we need everyone's participation."

The child said her teacher didn't allow her to eat the cookies during lunch, because they don't have enough nutritional value.

I am not sure about the statute of limitations in such cases, so to avoid any potential jail time for my mother I will refrain from sharing details of my own snacks as a child.

I liked Oreos as a kid, but now I now lean towards other items when I indulge in sweets. One exception occurred about two years ago in Shaoxing when I tried one of the localized flavors available in China. I discovered "peach-grape Oreos were not my thing".

Recently in Hengyang, I decided to try another flavor targeting China's consumers:



Thin Oreos with chocolate wafers and lemon cheesecake cream didn't sound appealing. But to my surprise, not only did I prefer them to peach-grape Oreos, I actually liked them. The mix of flavors worked in a manner similar to mint-chocolate. The lemon added a refreshing quality to the chocolate.

Maybe I should send a few packs to Colorado. I would be more than happy to receive some string cheese in return.

The Starbucks Experience Now Available in Hengyang

Last year I saw a clear sign at a large shopping mall that Hengyang would soon have its first Starbucks.

Starbucks would offer an experience not available in Hengyang I could see people were craving, and I had little doubt this store would be a success. When I returned to Hengyang this month, the store was open.

On one Thursday afternoon, people apparently not enjoying Starbucks products occupied most of the outside space, but customers took up much of the available seating area inside.

While the store represents some of Starbucks incredible growth in China, it is also another sign of how Hengyang is changing. 

Shooting Rubber Covered Pockets of Air in Hengyang

On nights in May and June last year, I often saw people shooting balloons set up by various game operators at a multileveled riverside area in Hengyang.

And on one occasion, I saw people taking a creative, if not riskier, approach to the game.

When I returned to Hengyang this month, I saw that the balloon shooting remained a popular activity.

Thanks to several friendly conversations last year, one of the game operators even recognized me and provided a hearty welcome back.

Like some sunken boats, the game was something that hadn't changed much in Hengyang over the past year. Though as one game operator set up for the night, I noticed a type of change common in Hengyang underway across the river.

Shirt in China Promotes a New York PRC Lifestyle

At a shopping market in Hengyang, China, I saw this shirt on sale for 19 RMB (about U.S. $3):

I asked a Chinese customer in the store for his thoughts on the shirt. He said he was unsure about most of the shirt, but the stars reminded him of the U.S. flag.

The one way street sign in the shirt's lower right image made me think of the U.S. as well, and the lower left image looked like New York City. I now more strongly suspect it is New York after finding a photo by "Global Jet" on Flickr which appears to have been taken from a slightly different vantage point:

Yet "PRC", especially in China, most often stands for "People's Republic of China". The shirt's potential message about "lifestyle" intrigued me.

So I wished I could speak to the shirt's designer. At the very least, they might be interested to know I bought it.

Sunken Boats in Hengyang

While some things have significantly changed in Hengyang, Hunan province, during the past year, others have seen less change, including one related to the earlier boat theme.

The scene on a rainy day at a somewhat hidden park off Changsheng Road last May:




And a similar viewpoint from this month on a brighter day:



After heavy rains in June last year the water was higher than in either of the two photos above. The water was far less clear this year. There were also a number of dead large fish floating around during my latest visit.

But the sunken boats remain. I don't know their story and can only wonder if they will be in the same state if I return to Hengyang again.

A Restaurant, Mojitos, and a Roller Coaster: Examples of Recent Change in Hengyang, China

Gaining a deeper understanding of regional variations is part of what has motivated me to examine a large number of cities in China. Gaining a deeper understanding of what can change over time is part of what motivated me to spend two months in Hengyang, Hunan province, last year and return for a look this year after 9 months away. Here, I'll share three changes I noticed which impacted personal experiences of mine. However, they touch on broader issues as well.


Somewhere Under the Bridge

The first case involves a restaurant which appeared in a subtle photo essay about an important date in Chinese history. Unlike most restaurants, it was located under a bridge.




I passed the no-frills restaurant many times last year and on a few occasions stopped for lunch.




The dishes were already prepared and kept warm while on display — no printed menu necessary. I typically selected at least one fish dish.





The prices were especially low, and typically the customers were surprised to see me eating there. One man asked why I didn't eat across the street, since he thought the food was better there. I didn't agree, although most people would consider the other restaurant to have cleaner and more upscale conditions. For me, the restaurant under the bridge had a special atmosphere — including a group of older men often sitting outside drinking baijiu during lunch.

I was looking forward to stopping by again this year. But when I approached the bridge, I felt momentarily confused. Not only could I not find the restaurant, the building which held it no longer existed.



Fortunately, Hengyang has many other restaurants, though I haven't seen another under a bridge.


Minted on Zhongshan Road

Towards the end of my time in Hengyang last year, a new drink shop opened on a shopping street that, unlike the restaurant under the bridge, was popular with youth. The shop featured mojitos — a rum-based cocktail with mint.



Most of the drinks were alcohol-free drinks, some similar to cocktails, but genuine mojitos were available. Mojitos aren't a common drink in Hengyang, or in many Chinese cities, and at an outside promotion they provided details on its non-alcoholic ingredients.



After inspecting their bottle of Barcardi rum, which was either genuine or a decent fake, I ordered a mojito for less than US $2 — hard to beat, especially since they were willing to be rather liberal with the rum. Honestly, I was most attracted by the fresh mint, something I hadn't seen in a while. I then enjoyed a riverside stroll with the drink. Unlike the U.S., in China one is free to walk around public areas with an "open container" of alcohol.

This year when I returned, I saw that the mojito shop was no more. But unlike the restaurant under the bridge, it had been replaced.



No rum or fresh mint, though. I can't say I am surprised.


Lost Tracks

In a more surprising case, I hoped to revisit a roller coaster I once compared to a historic roller coaster in the U.S. The cat & mouse themed roller coaster in Yueping Park had its charms.






As I approached the roller coaster walking on a winding path up a hill, something seemed amiss, and I briefly wondered if I had taken a wrong turn. I then realized the location for the roller coaster was now covered with newly planted trees.



Perhaps the park wanted a more natural look. The rooster and chicken walking around the edge of the area weren't talking. I would never ride a roller coaster here again, and I couldn't even drown my sorrows with a mojito.

Other changes in Hengyang also caught my attention. In some cases, the changes reflect issues which extend across China. I will share more examples of change and also some of what hasn't changed in later posts.

Hengyang Contrasts: Different States of Being Solid

I initially focused on the stark differences between the activities the statues depict at two parks in Hengyang, but lately I have pondered how they may sometimes be connected.

Scholars in Shigu Park

Soldiers in Yueping Park

Hengyang Contrasts: Opposite Directions

Enough of the boats, now it is time for motorbikes, cars, and buses. Here are late afternoon views looking east and west from a pedestrian bridge over Chuanshan Avenue in Hengyang, Hunan:

Two More Boat Scenes in Hengyang

I hadn't planned to continue yesterday's boat theme, but life had its own plans. So here is a night scene of two men fishing in the Xiang River:

And here is another man fishing in the Xiang River at night:

The first photo was taken in June last year and the second last night in Hengyang. It wasn't until recently I realized I had captured fishing scenes with contrasting boats at nearby locations, as indicated by the buildings in the background. In both cases, no other boats with people fishing were around.

A Hengyang Return

A boat in the Xiang River as the sun was setting one day in June last year:

A boat not far away on the other side of the Xiang River one day in April this year:

This is my way of saying I am back in Hengyang, Hunan, though for a much shorter time than the two months I spent here last year. I have already experienced and captured so much during recent days it could occupy my blogging for at least a month or two. That doesn't even count what I still have from last year.

As usual, more soon . . .