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Hello ,
Greetings from real China. I'm far from the big coastal cities, in what I like to call real China.
Last week I was telling you about my stop-over in Hong Kong and the problem of getting my visa sorted. You can read it here.
It's actually Chinese new year, it's a big deal in China and pretty much wall to wall fireworks. The next 15 days are designated important days, with specific jobs to do each day. It starts with new years eve, where you must do at least 30 jobs (why I have no idea), and then day one, is supposed to be a day of rest, but it all seems hectic activity to me.
Red Envelopes / Hóngbāo
You probably know about them, at this time of year children and old folk are given a red envelope stuffed with cash. Lets hope this idea doesn't catch on in Europe or we in the gift trade are buggered (sorry Mum - shouldn't say that) - a red envelope is not the same as a thoughtfully bought gift, although it's a lot easier and quicker.
Speaking of Quick... Quick quick!.. in Chinese is Kuài Kuài!
And Happy new year is: Xīn Nián Kuài lè (New Year Happy) - Yes Kuai also means happy! I checked and not only is it the same word, but the same Mandarin symbol. So in China Quick = Happy. Strangely none of my Chinese friends seems to have noticed this. They look at me like I'm slightly mad when I point this quite obvious thing out, but it seems to me it personifies the Chinese character perfectly. They are only happy when rushing around doing something at a pace, even at holiday time it's all go.