Discover Lanzhou: A Journey to the Heart of China
By: Michael Wei
Do you know what city is famous for its noodles? Lanzhou, an outstanding site, is the capital city of Gansu province. This city in China is very special for its unique bowl of noodles. Even though you may have never heard of this amazing, overpopulated city, you may still have tried Lanzhou noodles. But, there is more to this capital city, like its helpful people, hardworking shopkeepers, and amazing ways people in China live. With even more fascinating things to offer, Lanzhou is an excellent place to see.
A City Bustling with Life
Once you arrive in Lanzhou, the first thing you will see is citizens in cars, on buses, and on foot out and about. These are not just one or two citizens in a car, like in Canada. Instead, the buses are filled with massive amounts of people. At the same time, you will also notice Lanzhou’s warm and dry weather. In this way, you can visit a warm place without the concerns of rain, making it an exciting trip for those who always bring a camera. However, the dry climate is not always good for everything. For the roads, it causes cracks. To prevent overheating, water trucks spread water on the roads in summer to keep them cool. This adds moisture to the air, the roads, and the environment.
Exploring Lanzhou’s Unique Markets
Not far from the roads are small shops of all different sizes, similar to what we have on the main roads of downtown Toronto. What is even more unique is that even more small roads filled with small markets connect to that single main road. This small market is where you buy and sell things. It is like the supermarkets in Canada, but this market is outdoors. In this special market, not many vehicles pass through. The only ones you may see are trucks selling items, motorcycles, and bicycles. Most commonly, nearby people walk in to buy things. What these people buy can be already made, raw, or daily necessities. Also, what sellers sell in this market can be different from day to day. Today, they may sell you homemade Lanzhou noodles, and the next day, you might get some noodles to cook on your own.
Bargaining: A Local Custom
There is a little trick everyone in Lanzhou, or all over China, uses. This skill is bargaining, to tell the shopkeeper to lower the price of items. What price tags say may not be the only price. If you go to a small shop, you can always tell them to lower the price because they always raise it a little. In Lanzhou, where you live will always be near one of these markets. What will you visit when you come here?
Understanding the Local Life
Lanzhou is actually not only a perfect place to take pictures but also a place to understand. You have to understand what native adults and children are doing to really prove that you understand. For children and adults, they have a common place to enjoy time together: all the structures surrounding them. Although most people live in condos, they are still very happy. This is because the gardens and stone fields surrounding the condos are very huge. They’re roughly three times bigger than a park in Canada. In the garden, people can exercise or chat with friends.
Education and Occupations
Native theme parks are very popular with the children of Lanzhou. One of the most popular theme parks in Lanzhou is the Lanzhou Theme Park. But when it comes to school, local teachers are very strict. Students learn language, math, and lots more when they are a bit older. Usually, they have a considerable amount of homework. At the same time, adults have important jobs to support their families. Their jobs are mainly in one of three sections. The first section is all about people who use massive amounts of knowledge to earn money; these people can be lawyers or sellers. The second section is about education, which is teachers. Then the last section is the most important section of all. These people are farmers and small shop owners. These people provide us with daily necessities. You need food and water to survive, but not really much knowledge. The next time you visit Lanzhou, pay attention to these small but very important details.
The People of Lanzhou: Storytellers at Heart
In Lanzhou, people are experts at socializing with others. From a small child to an adult, a farmer to a businessman, they all have lots of stories to tell. Children at your age may tell you about their education. You may hear cool new things you never knew or some unbelievable things. And they will tell you education in China is difficult. This is because of the very confusing language, Chinese. This is a complicated language because it has two sets of words. The first set is standard Chinese, while the other acts like a pronunciation. The second set of words is like the English alphabet, except there is a “u” with two small dots on top of the letter, side by side. Now you may hear an adult tell you about their lives and experiences. They are likely going to tell you all about their jobs and introduce you to Lanzhou. But to understand what they say, stick with a group, or you might want to learn some Chinese.
Experience the Beauty of Lanzhou
Imagine a beautiful place filled with breathtaking and thrilling sites. Little towns filled with people, helping each other. This is Lanzhou, one of the best views in all of China. People will live here without a single regret. This is a place filled with a strong, healthy society. Will you visit her on your vacation?