Before I left Qinhuangdao, I visited the area’s seaside resort area, Beidaihe. I’d heard it was gorgeous, and it did not disappoint. The water was a lovely blue-green, the sand was, well, sand, and the air was so…clean. The whole town was so surreal, though. Walking through a shopping area, I couldn’t help but think of the studio tour at Universal. Riding through Universal’s sets two years ago, I saw buildings and storefronts that were “a city” or “a European city” or “anywhere suburbs.” And that’s how I felt walking through this newer shopping district (seen above). Although I’ve never been to Europe, I felt like some of the rows of buildings were part of a “here’s a street in Europe” set.
Partially influenced by the Europeans’ and Americans’ stationing themselves there in the early 1900s and more recently by the Russians’ flocking to Beidaihe’s beaches, apparently the architecture of the area has always been a bit less Chinese. So although it was surreal, it wasn’t necessarily surprising.
But walking back to the bus stop, I had to rub my eyes to make sure what I was seeing was for real. As I spotted a new housing development area rising behind some banners, I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. Here, in a country where hutongs (those labyrinth-type housing structures…think like the ones seen in Mulan) still exist, I was seeing a true American suburb. “North-American style” housing those banners proclaimed. I’d heard these Yankee ‘burb-type areas existed in China, and Beidaihe, with it’s already non-traditional architecture, is probably a perfect fit for these cookie-cutter homes sponsored by the Canadian ADS. But really. American/Canadian suburbs outside of a seaside Chinese suburb?
omg, those suburbs are freaking me out. i wonder what they look like inside.
You are having some awesome adventures, Jayna. Those houses are freaking me out, too! That’s the last thing I expected to see in China!