The New Year brings many changes for Brian and me: new city (we have already moved to Shanghai), and very soon a new apartment and new employment. We're quite excited to see what 2013 holds, and I'm sure there will be plenty more posts on Shanghai living! :)
I mentioned in the previous post, however, another Hangzhou hangout that we would frequent. I don't know its Chinese name (like many locales in this country), so I end up assigning my own name. We've come to regard this area as "The New Old Place."
The New Old Place is a narrow street directly south of campus. Only a 20 minute walk to West Lake, and flanked by a public park, bamboo garden, tea fields, and lush mountains, the New Old Place is nestled in prime real estate. The real question is why The New Old Place wasn't developed any sooner. Though I don't know its exact history, dear reader, I do know that the current properties there all came into existence within the 18 months we lived in Hangzhou.
The New Old Place amuses me for many reasons, and is an intriguing microcosm of China: what is original, and what is recent? What is fake, and what is authentic? What matters for presentation, and what doesn't? A stroll on this street offers a crash course in Chinese culture.