Some quirkier moments from the China trip, more or less in sequence, starting with a reminder that Lunar New Year is around the corner, at West Nanjinglu in Shanghai
Antler display at the Shanghai Natural History Museum
A better-lit Han dynasty zither player at the Shanghai Museum
AI-generated ads in the Shanghai subway
Napkin pack at a fish restaurant: pickles taste better than fish!
The new year is the year of the snake, in a swanky highway rest stop
Buddhist temple inspired figurines at rest stop bookshop
Display of local pride at Quzhou Holiday Inn breakfast buffet
Relics of Confucius' 75th generation descendant in the southern line
Pots in the garden at Quzhou's Southern School Confucian temple
Fried fish with tea leaves in the birthplace of oolong tea, Wuyishan
Dry ice in a mini teapot makes Wuyishan tea special even in a paper cup
Carp and tree reflections at our place in Wuyishan
"Vows of eternal love route" at Wuyishan mobilizes everything for love, marriage and happy families, from cliff formations to bodhsattvas to Neoconfucian academies
Impromptu tree of life at Xiamei ancient town
Museum (closed) at the remains of the short-lived Han era city of Minyue
Quanzhou's best selling Daoist figurine; as he looks at his cell phone, you can (if you have a Chinese phone chip) zap the horse image and get a virtual moon block-informed prognostication
Mascot of something at the Maritime Museum in Quanzhou
The inevitable core values of of socialism, Maritime Museum style
Preparations for new year's for sale in Quanzhou
Young women and girls dress up in the style of nearby Xunpu in Quanzhou
Souvenirs, including Quanzhou's adorably gawky white traffic tower
Arhats (luohan) at Cao'an temple outside Quzhou
Unexpected spring flowers on trees at Cao'an
The newly built Luojia temple on the sea pulls out all the stops
Hakka tulou-shaped ice cream bars in many flavors
The latest coffee trend, a "DIRTY" (in English) - espresso smudging a glass of chilled milk: delicious!
