Sunday, April 9, 2017

Qingming Festival

Last weekend was the Qingming, or tomb sweeping festival here in China. It is the time when families go to the graves of their ancestors to pray to, and honour them. It is the 15th day after the spring equinox, which means it falls on April 4th, 5th, or 6th.

In Guangxi, it coincides with the provincial Zhuang New Year festival, which meant for me it was a six day holiday.

However, with so much cash being needed in August, I decided to spend it locally. I went to Qingxuishan, the hiking area east of Nanning, and managed a few trips to the gym. I also tried a few restaurants I had been meaning to try but never seem to have time for. It was also the first time in ages when the university campus was actually quiet, so it was nice to just have that peace (China is noisy).

It was also the first weekend when the tropical weather returned, so it was nice to be able to go outside without a sweater.