Lanzhou - The Golden City
Lanzhou is geographically the heart of China. There are close to 3 million people, half of which live in the city area and the other half spread out over 13,000 square kilometers. The weather is desert-like with low humidity, mild winters, mild summers, the occasional dust storm and overall dusty air from the wind smacking the surrounding bald mountains. The city is also called the 'Fruit City' and is never short of melons, bananas and other hearty fruit.
Lanzhou has a certain distinction in that the mighty Yellow River flows through the city which no other city can claim. Actually, the Yellow River really looks more golden brown and sadly one can see the years of its dwindling size as the muddy banks increase. Historically, this city was a key connection for the Silk Road and today has one of the highest concentration of army individuals and bases.
Lanzhou's people are known in China for being warm-hearted individuals. From first-hand experience I can say this is very true. From the first day I set foot here I was greeted, invited and taken care of. I would venture off into the city by myself and within a few short hours I would find myself interacting if not eating or drinking with someone I didn't know.
Perhaps it's because this city is still a developing city and hasn't met the fast paced lifestyle of it's big sisters like Shanghai or Beijing. In fact, it is true to say that even for all of it's developments in the last ten years and continuing development, the locals are a bit like "farmers". Chinese use the word farmer the same way westerners may say hick, hillbilly, redneck, cowboy, hilljack, country bumpkin or whatever recent collocation may be used to describe urbanites. The locals need at least another generation to catch up to the times.
When the locals ask me what I think of their city I always say "It's a bit dirty, but the people are great". And it's true. People here simply do not care about the trash and litter. They'll just throw their garbage anywhere, everywhere. True, every morning, street janitors sweep the streets and sidewalks, but the accumulation from just daily activities leads to some serious messes.
Speaking of daily activities, it's interesting to note that it's not very customary to hang out in someone's home. Get togethers are done in restaurants and the majority of 40+ year old individuals will do their bit of drinking at the restaurant as well. Younger crowds who don't drink heavily or smoke too much will hit the ever so popular coffee bars here while the rest will be younger business men or money men throwing their cash away at the disco bars while young dolled up ladies follow implicitly.
What brings everyone together will be the beer gardens. Loud, dirty, gated and full of drunks, it's what I look forward to every winter. Sitting outside, drinking bad beer, eating Muslim cooked roasted lamb and playing Chinese hand games. Small streets and alleys are also lined with billiard tables and as there is no law against having an open container of alcohol while strolling the streets it is quite easy to find yourself cheering the whole neighborhood and thusly getting drunk.
I could write about how much this city loves to drink but let's just put it this way; everyday I see numerous men puking their guts out and everyday I have to watch where I walk, everywhere.