Only married couples can give red envelopes out in the New Year celebrations, so, when we had finished the school term on Friday 23rd February, the Chinese staff held a raffle of window cuttings, mobiles and other paraphanalia to bring prosperity to everyone.
The next day, I collected Jon from Baiyun airport and we rode the public bus back to Shaiman Island. The European buildings and the harbourside location make this a perfect location for Westerners arriving in the PRC for the first time. We were so excited to be travelling together. When New Year's day arrived the place was packed to every corner with families and couples watching the fireworks, awesome. We walked down passed banyun Temple and the queue strecthed for about a mile. We held our whirly wands and bought incense, but didn't manage to lay them at the Buddha's feet, so we ventured along the streets and gave to the beggars, the disabled and the poor.
