It’s not just Tai Chi that moves the Chinese. Slow dancing to loud but catchy Chinese songs are a rage here. Every morning, from 9.00 am to 10.30, when I am in class, I am treated to some lovely music coming from across the road as women dance to the tunes in a huge square....

If you don’t enjoy calligraphy much, just sing! These were a band of men singing in the park, complete with an orchestra behind them and loudspeakers. The parks here are fun, especially on weekends, as I discovered. Everybody comes to play, sing, dance, chat or just sit and watch all the activity. In India, the...

Apparently, this is one of the ways to pass time. Writing calligraphy in the park, using water. I saw this a few times when I was walking around in a couple of parks. This old man was the first one I saw. He was dipping this sponge tipped stick in a bucket of water kept...

A close up of the ear cleaning implements. They look pretty formidable right? And this was in a teahouse at a park nearby…

One of the funny things I saw in Jin Li Street. There were “ear cleaners” standing with local earbuds, cotton swirled around two steel tongs, calling out to people to clean their ears. I was mighty skeptical of their skills, but these two brave men ventured to get their ears cleaned.

The one thing I liked about Jin Li was the mind boggling number of snacks and sweets. I couldn’t taste any that day because it was just too crowded to go near any of the counters since it was a Sunday. But I am planning to go back there (the entrance is free) on a...

The street had buildings and houses that were constructed to resemble old China. But these two stylish mannequins, displaying the wares of the shop, bring you back to the present.

One of the few interesting shops in Jin Li was this place that sold calligraphy brushes. All sizes, all types. Don’t miss that huge brush made from elephant tusk on the far left.

Last weekend I visited Jin Li Jie, or Jin Li Street. It’s a reconstructed ancient street, which is filled with shops and restaurants. A tourist favorite. But I didn’t like it much. It was too commercialized, complete with a Starbucks, which took the charm out of the place. Crammed with small and big shops that...

These monkey police warn us to watch out for falling stones all around the mountain roads. The monkey is kind of the unofficial mascot of Emei Shan, which is known for its wild macaques. These things can be quite aggressive, snatching things from bewildered tourists. I encountered a few but thankfully they left me alone…