Guangzhou is a city near by Shenzhen. You could either take a around three to four ours train ride or take the fast train for an hour. Of course, we decided for the last one. The train system in China is the best! All modern, fast and very well organized. Germany should really learn from them in this matter. The Deutsche Bahn is not known for being on time… We arrived at night, just walked by the Zhujiang River and went to bed. The next day was rainy but it could not hinder us from doing some sightseeing. We went to a temple, the Shamian island and some other nice spots as you can see in the following. If you click on the picture the gallery opens with some descriptions about each picture.

Zhujian River by night.

Guangxiao Temple still busy even though it's raining.

Sacrifices at the temple.

Buddha comes in all different shapes.

Exploring the Shamian Island.

Cute sculptures.

Guess here lives a cat lady...

Zhongshan Memorial Hall.

How should you spend Christmas in a country that is not drawn to Christianity? Sure, drive to the only city near by that actually has a Christian church. I’m not religious at all and Christmas hat no deeper meaning for me, I only celebrate it with my family because I know how important it is to them, especially my grandparents. They where super sad and had a pity for me celebrating without a Christmas tree and a nice dinner. I on the other hand was happy having an excuse not to buy diverse gifts no one needs anyway.

A little bit off topic, but I am drawn to minimalism and try to melt down my possessions, after this exchange and a longer time backpacking even more. I tried to convince my family to not give me unwanted gifts or lots of sweets. I do love sweets but let’s say my hips loves them too if you know what I mean.

Back to topic, here are some impressions of the Christmas time in China:

Chinese Market chaotic as usual.

A Chinese Christmas Market.

A glimps of Christmas.

The Canton Tower in the back - Colorful Guangzhou at night.

Consequently, my family was happy to know that I will spend the holiday with some friends on a nice weekend trip. Luckily it felt on a weekend because naturally Chinese do not celebrate Christmas. A few of us wanted to go to a mess on Christmas and the rest of us decided to join the trip. Not all of us stayed for the whole weekend but it was a group of ten exchange students. You want to see a church in China, here it is:

Sacted Heart Cathedral.

Busy mess on Chritsmas.

Looking at this I would never guess that's in China.

Did I enjoy it sure I did! A weekend with friends is always great. Did I say for the mess as a self-declared agnostic? No, I didn’t, I left for a walk by the river and waited for my friends to come and join me. By the way, did we have a typical Christmas meal? Well, let’s say we had no Chinese food but no European food neither. Instead we went for Indian. The other days we went to a halal restaurant and the last one to a Japanese restaurant. All in all, delicious and multicultural meals. Definitely a Christmas like no other!