With his co-host in England for the month, the news comedy show C4’s Stuart Wiggin took a trip to the Shaolin Temple and returned with a travel diary that has gone viral in China. Why? There’s an interesting story here…

Luo Yonghao, the creator of the Smartisan phone who first rose to fame through English schools, recently posted on Sina Weibo a picture of a Japanese soy sauce pot, complimenting the Japanese on their attention to even small things.

As you might expect, some of the comments were positive, while some were not. And then — to illustrate how much attention the Chinese give to seemingly insignificant objects – someone posted a screenshot of this C4 episode in which Wiggin pretends to confuse a rubbish bin for a valuable ancient carving:

“And then my weibo account blew up and the show started to circulate,” Wiggin said via email. “Needless to say, some people think I actually legitimately didn’t know it was a bin. Obviously don’t get the idea of scripted comedy.”

Should’ve gone with that crosstalk skit.

Go visit C4′s Tumblr!

Part 2:

On Youku:

My three companions and I were rewarded for our three-and-a-half-hour drive from Beijing by a body of water tucked into the hills. Panjiakou Reservoir is a man-made lake, created in 1977 when the Chinese government flooded a valley northwest of Beijing, and it was there that we would experience the Great Wall of China in the rather unique state of under water.

Arriving at the pier, we hefted our gear from our cars onto a motorboat, which took us past fish farms, underneath makeshift electrical lines strung across the water, and over waterlogged ropes. Along the steep overgrown banks, the terrain rose up to rough ridges where abandoned Wall towers punctuated the hilltops. A half-hour later we reached a floating restaurant that would serve as both the departure point for our dive and portal for our accommodations.

We were greeted by the family who owns the place and some other guests partaking in lunch on deck. We soon feasted as well on the floating veranda. We indulged in pumpkins, eggplant, and zucchini picked from a garden overlooking our bobbing cafe, plus gigantic fish that moments earlier were struggling in nets on the nearby boats. Chickens have run of the bank, with their eggs serving as part of our meal.

The restaurant proprietors also run the adjacent hotel, and they’ve lived in this valley for as long as they can remember. Dynamite destroyed their ancestral home during the 1977 demolition that preceded the flooding of the valley, and like other villagers who were forced to relocate, they took up new occupations. They’re now in the tourism business, a destination for both day trips and overnight stays.

The Wall butts up against this hotel before spilling down the hillside and crumbling into the water. Those wishing to journey farther up need only walk a few meters to start their climb. It’s a well-worn yet narrow and unkempt trail that leads up the mountain to some gorgeous vantage points overlooking Panjiakou Reservoir. A scramble up the hill gave us an overview of our dive site.

Also helping with a sense of overview was a fantastic black-and-white photo on one of the walls of the restaurant. It shows the town and valley before they were destroyed. You realize just how deep the floor is — somewhere around 60 to 90 meters below the surface of the water — but there is purportedly nothing left to explore. The only surviving structure is the Great Wall.

Even in summer, it’s a cold dive — the surface temperature is 24 C, but it plummets to 6 C at the bottom — so either a dry suit or a couple of layers of wetsuits is highly recommended, along with boots, gloves, and hood. All of it had to be hauled from Beijing, since there are no facilities near the dive site to garner forgotten equipment or fill tanks. The locals found humor in a handful of foreigners donning eight millimeters of neoprene in the middle of a hot muggy day.

As soon as we struggled, sweating, into our layers, we jumped into the water to do our final weighting (we’d all been diving in saltwater and needed to recalculate for the freshwater). We messed around with the weights and, once happy, crawled back into the boat that motored us the few remaining hundred meters to where we would descend.

The Wall pokes out of the water to form small islands, giving us a couple of reference points. However, they’d be useless once our masks slipped below the surface. The first five meters was entirely particulate matter and there was no visibility — this is apparently consistent for any time of year. Once below the silt, we were hit by the abrupt cold and absolute blackness. The only light came from our torches. Not a drop of sunlight penetrated the silt and algae above us. It was like entering another world, with all our senses altered — nothing came into focus until we spotted the Wall.

Guo Yong, our dive master, deftly led us to it. Even submerged, it is an impressive structure. With history at our fingertips, we imagined the times of war and peace it’d weathered and survived, the lives that had come and gone around it. It was humbling. There is a submerged tower and you can swim through its rooms — what builder, attacker, or defender could ever have foreseen the day when scuba divers would blow bubbles toward its ceiling?

Be warned, it is not an easy reef dive — it’s a technical dive. Depending on the water level behind the dam, it can be quite challenging at almost 30 meters. There is little freshwater life to be seen — if lucky, maybe a few small crayfish will wave their antennae at you. But the ancient wall is reward enough. There is not much diving in this part of the world — Thailand and the Philippines have the market cornered with their coral reefs — but for experienced divers looking for a unique spot, this opportunity is a treasure.

Christina is a professional rambler currently attempting to figure out life in Beijing — and stumbling upon crazy stuff as she goes.

Panjiakou Reservoir Great Wall: contact Guo Yong (vvdiving@gmail.com / phone: 400-028-7778) of VVDiving, a PADI Dive Center near Sihui subway station in Beijing. Guo Yong speaks English and teaches PADI courses in English as well as Chinese. He knows the Wall dive site very well and went above and beyond in arranging logistics for us. VVDiving also does trips to the Philippines, Maldives, and other South Asian destinations.

If you’re wondering whether to take a weekend to visit Harbin, the answer is yes. It’s not all Snow and Ice.

First things first: yes, it’s cold. You’ve probably heard it said so often that you think it’s overhyped – the cold, psssht – but listen: you underdress at your own risk. It’s not the initial blast that gets you, but the slow seep: how cold burrows into your coat, then down jacket, then sweater, then baselayers, then undershirt. When it gets to your skin, you’re done. Nothing you do will make you warmer. Each break you take, each cup of instant noodles you down, will just make the next five minutes outdoors all the worse. So, yeah, layer up, bring a scarf and hat, two gloves, line your shoes, and put on two pairs of wool socks. The socks and gloves are critical: one’s extremities are usually the first to suffer.

You’ll want to take the overnight train there and back. Note: both hard and soft sleeper tickets sell out fast, especially around this time, so you’ll want to order online as soon as they’re available, which is 20 days ahead of your travel date. Two days and one night is probably enough time to get a good sense of the city, an extra night won’t bore you. A good area to stay is near Zhongyang Jie (the pedestrian street), but you’ll need to book accommodations in advance. Around there, you can walk to Stalin Park, where there’s an icy wonderland with skating, tube slides, sledding, etc. You’ll also be within walking distance to Saint Sophia Cathedral on Sophia Square:

There’s a bar nearby called Blues, which Wikitravel describes thusly:

Dirty, crowded, and dangerous. Everything that is Harbin, Russians, Mongolians, Turks, Canadians, Brazilians, Koreans. Frequent staging ground for fights between Koreans and Mongolians or Russians fighting with Russians. The staff has also been known to get involved in fights or start them. Friday nights 10:30PM and afterward get really crazy when about 80% of Harbin’s foreign newcomers head out to Blue’s to party.

The area around Guogeli is also nice, as you’d be within walking distance from the Children’s Park, next to which is a nightlife district towered over by a neon-facaded club called Latte. Yes, Beijingers, there’s a Latte in Harbin, too, and it’s wonderful. On the Saturday night I visited, there was no cover — but Russian burlesque dancers bopping to American 1920s jazz music, yes.

Other good hangouts include Sky Bar, across the street from the Harbin Institute of Technology (which has its own subway stop), owned by a dude from Arizona. A few blocks from that is Harbin’s famous hangout, The Box — a nightclub — which is on the same floor as its sister bar, called Dox. The bouncers there are exceptionally condescending, though why wouldn’t they be?

Now, the touristy thing…

The Snow and Ice Festival (technically: Snow Sculpture Art Exhibition and Harbin Ice and Snow World) are actually two different things, both requiring tickets. The Snow Sculpture Art Exhibition costs 240 yuan, and the Ice Festival — the main event, as it were — costs 300. People say you can get in for half-price with a student ID, but there are limitations: graduate IDs don’t work. I wouldn’t recommend carrying fake IDs, either. If you show an expired ID, please make sure the expiration date isn’t written anywhere, as the people who work there are adept in English — and serious about their jobs. We saw, in the line leading into the Ice Festival, a young girl maybe about five years old get denied entrance because her parents bought her a half-price ticket with a preschool ID. The family had to go back to the ticket counter and pay full price for her. Talk about loss of face.

Are the parks worth it? If a binary answer is required, then yes. I realize 540 yuan is a lot — much more than it should be, if we’re being honest — but how likely are you going to visit Harbin again? The snow park should be reserved for the daytime, as you’ll see some sculptures that you can convince yourself is international art of exceptional quality. (For snow, anyway.) Yes, you’re supporting art — money well spent! The ice park is fun because of the free slides and spectacular views, and lights. And because you’ve probably seen pictures of it on CNN. Again, strictly speaking, 540 yuan really is too much, but considering the quality of these places and the publicity they receive every frickin’ year, 540 probably is the fair market price.

Bringing me to this point: the snow and ice festivals truly are international in this most important sense: they maintain high standards. The queues are orderly, and outside, I’ve never seen so many traffic cops actually doing their jobs. One of my travel companions, Geoff — who took the pictures that accompany this post — mentioned that he encountered more English-speaking locals in Harbin than Beijing. That might not be strictly true, but you get what he’s saying: Harbin is a friendly, first-class town (if not exactly first-tier by China’s definition), and it cares about maintaining that reputation.

We skipped the Ice Lantern Venue and the aquarium. Those who’ve been, feel free to make a case for going.

But an absolute can’t-miss is the Siberian Tiger Park, a ticket to which is only 90 yuan. (You have to pay 10 extra for a guided tour.) Watching tigers eat live chickens is endlessly awesome. (Even if you don’t pay for the animal yourself, someone nearby likely will.) Feeding shows commence at 11 am and 2:30 pm. Geoff, that man again, actually touched a tiger’s paw. This one:

They even have pumas, though, um, they probably shouldn’t. This poor guy looked miserable:

We were able to see the tiger park, snow and ice parks all in one day, and felt rushed in none of them.

Hiring a driver is recommended, at least for the parks. It’s not that you can’t get to these places via cab, but getting out is tougher. The last thing you want, while freezing, is to fight fellow tourists for cabs, or to walk to bus stops and wait.

You’ll want to sit down in a hotpot restaurant (any will do). A barbecue dinner is recommended. Drink Harbin beer — though your opinion of it likely won’t change. We saw a lot of California Beef Noodle King USA and Sushi Noodle restaurants, but chose not to dine in them.

So, get out there, experience the cold, skate a little, buy a popsicle (the famous one on Zhongyang Pedestrian Street — you’ll find it, because everyone nearby will be eating one), and let us know how it goes. After a weekend in Harbin, the Beijing winter will seem mild by comparison.

Oh, and see if your pictures come out any better than these:

The photographer:

Ever wanted to take a long trip through Asia, but always lacked just that last push of motivation? Consider this video. It’ll motivate you.

In September 2012, Antoine Lavenant and his girlfriend took advantage of a student exchange program in Kunming to travel across Asia. They made it as far north as Beijing, but spent a bulk of their time in southeast Asia: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka. They got a lot of footage — on a Sony HDR-CX730, as Lavenant says in the YouTube description page — and edited it into the above.

Some images you’ll surely recognize. Others, maybe not. And that’s probably the point. A few screenshots:

The song is Foals’s “Spanish Sahara.”

Overheard in the international departures line at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila: “What do you suppose ‘wang-wang’ means?”

“Don’t do what the Chinese do in lines.”

The person who took this picture, Alex O., says, “I’m curious what this means and how similar it is to the ‘pai dui’ and ‘wenming chaoyang’ campaigns here.”

If anyone knows, drop us a line.

Another look:

Landslides caused a section of the Guangzhou-to-Beijing rail to be blocked on Sunday, affecting more than 80,000 passengers, according to the Guangzhou Railway Corporation. Many of them, if the above video is any indication, were stranded at the station, where they spent the night.

This video is a paean to the weary traveler. There are no choices, nor forks in the road. Just straight ahead we’ll go, until we arrive.

Shanghaiist has some photos via Southern Metro Daily, which look like this:

A traditional rhyme in Sichuan goes like this: “Toss medicine money, worship your godfather, throw away clothes, and pray for the whole family.”

The people of Mianyang, the second largest city in Sichuan province after Chengdu, take the rhyme very seriously, along with other traditions. On March 18, thousands flocked to Jushui Village for the Ju Water Bridge Festival (雎水踩桥会), almost all of them to do one thing: step on a bridge.

More than 300,000 people gathered on Peaceful Bridge, according to news reports. A famous Sichuanese saying goes like this: “If a husband and wife both walk on the bridge, they will live happily ever after; worshipping ancestors on the top center of the bridge, children will be immune to disease; tossing money you would use to buy herbal medicine into the river, everyone in your family will live long and prosper; tossing your clothes, there will be no flooding in the city.”

Every year, tourists walk from one end of Peaceful Bridge to the other three times to ensure peace and safety for the whole year.

“The bridge sure is strong,” netizens back home wrote. Others were in disbelief. “I did not go! Safety’s first. You can never trust Tofu-dreg projects.” “You don’t want to step on disaster instead of happiness,” another added. A few netizens denied the tradition itself: “Come on, we all know we need to work for our happiness, ‘stepping on happines’ is make-believe, a pastime or family activity, that’s all.”

But today, Ju Shui Festival is also a chance for Sichuanese from all over to get together. It’s quite special, since Sichuan has a distinct culture. For starters, Sichuan food is unique, as is Sichuan Opera, with its face-changers. And Sichuan is the most populous province in China, and among the largest. Getting together to talk and celebrate is meaningful.

Officials in Mianyang expected a large turnout and were prepared. A sizeable police force kept order, and sent visitors across the bridge in groups. As tourists tossed clothes and money into the river, fishermen underneath immediately fished out the goodies.

After the Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008, Ju Shui’s Peaceful Bridge remained undamaged, though to ensure safety, the local government suspended the Bridge Festival for two years. After renovations, the Bridge Festival began again in 2011.

This year, however, was the first time that the festival exceeded 300,000 people. Was it to observe a tradition, or a yearning for an old way of life? Perhaps visitors just wanted to express their hope for peace and happiness.

Xiao Yi is a travel enthusiast who tweets @ellies_day.