This weekend the preparation for Chinese New Year starts in earnest. With on week to go the frenzy of travel, shopping and general having a good time has begun.

People have started travelling home. The so called Chunyun, (春运). If you have not been lucky in the lottery that is plane, train and coach tickets this can mean a 36 hour train journey with no seat. You do get discount though for not having a seat!. They tell be that there will be 3oo million journeys over the next 2 weeks. All transport routes to be avoided. I shall be staying right here in Shenzhen and spending new year with 20 or so employees who will not be travelling home. I did work on a fun little project with the university interns. We have created a portering service helping people with luggage get onto their train or coach. Generally transport systems here are not disability friendly and people have great difficulty travelling around. The subway system here is pretty good (until the lifts break down) but buildings and shopping centres make sorely lacking attempts at accessibility such as 45 degree angle ramps that are impossible to navigate in a wheelchair without assistance.

Feels a bit like Christmas in the shops; except people are not buying toys and gifts but sweets, chocolates, booze, tea and fruit. The familiar sight of people stocking up on food for a few days of festival. The main gift is the hongbao - the red envelope containing money that is given to children and single adults. People are also buying new furniture and clothes. China right now is a consumer culture bordering on frenzy and, if you have the money, you can buy just about anything here. It is stil a bit odd to walk down a street and see shops selling fake designer goods NEXT DOOR to the stores selling the real thing. The Chinese coffee shop NEXT DOOR to Starbucks (where the coffee is 5 times the price) and a store of some kind every 5 paces. It is a bit of an assualt on the senses sometimes.

Activities happening now in preparation for next weekend will be including dumpling making, decorations and preparing games for New Year's Eve. I'll report on what exactly happens after the event.

Weather hot and rainy
Knees creaking and sore