Wednesday 5^th December, 2018 1715

Monday saw the opening ceremony of Arts week and I was delighted to discover it didn't start until 1430 so no 0500 start for me!

If I am honest it wasn't up to the standard of last year although it was still entertaining. I even managed to get my video camera to record it and if I can suss how to join all the clips into a single film I may even upload it to YouTube when I get a chance.

Winter is well and truly here. Today I went in search of cheese and the outbound bus never had any heating. Oddly, rather than being warmer in the city it was far colder! My cheese hunt was only partially successful, I found cheddar but they only had low fat or mild, no mature to be had. 200¥ later I had three lots of mild plus a camembert to complement my port at Christmas dinner.

Talking of that, I have now spent so much on it I am bankrupt in China and with payday a few days hence will now have to dip into my UK account. That ham when it arrives had better be damned good!

Remember Mulan? She and her siblings cared for me when I broke my pelvis in Chizhou. I have had the odd sporadic contact from her over the past few years and have never forgotten her giving up her Chinese new year's day to come to my aid. I have always had a soft spot for her (despite the threats of her ex and his cutting a cable on my e-bike) because her family had the worst of times, they went to school one day and returned to find both their mother and father had run away. An uncle took them in and raised them, foregoing any chance he had of ever marrying himself.

Well a few months ago she called me from a Shanghai-bound train to tell me she was pregnant and would have to marry her new boyfriend soon, after which they would be going to live and work in Shanghai. She lost her iPhone and therefore never got my email inviting her to meet up in Shanghai in the summer but when she bought a new one she emailed me back.

She sent me her wedding video. Finally this afternoon I had time to watch it. For me it was moving because I was so glad she finally found happiness. She had always been troubled because she felt it her duty to help provide for her younger siblings, a weighty responsibility on young shoulders. Also, the marriage took place in Chizhou so I recognised most of the locations.

I am providing the link should anyone have a spare 27 minutes and who is interested in an authentic rural Chinese wedding, which is quite different from a western one. The groom is required to go and “claim” his bride and on arriving where she is living, is denied access by the bride's friends whilst he tries to give lucky envelopes and utter entreaties to be allowed to see her.

And do you know what? I wish I could have been there. It wasn't a high-society bash but for all that, it looked a happy affair and I would have loved to meet the uncle who sacrificed his own chance of marital bliss to rear children who were not his own. And shake his hand.

I am hoping to make it to Shanghai again next summer and you can bet if I have anything to do with it, Mulan and I shall meet again.

https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzg1NjgyMjc0MA==.html?sharefrom=iphone&sharekey=799b8f1a312d98d23b632252ff29494f5