Hi!!! The past week was China’s National Holiday, so I’ve been chilling. Not at home, at my grandparents place. National Holiday is like China’s July 4th. On October 1st 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China after defeating Chiang Kai Shek’s nationalist government in one of the longest civil wars ever. Anyways, we get pretty much an entire week of break because of it! YAY!

As previously mentioned, I spent the week at my grandparent’s house in Xiang Tan. Before I get into more detail, WE GOT A KITTEN!!!!

Actually he followed my brother home, so we adopted him. Isn’t he soooo cuuuutttteeee! His name is Mao Mao, after Chairman Mao.

Back to Xiang Tan. As usual, it was AMAZING and full of delicious meals. There was also pretty much no WIFI, so I got a much needed tech break. Even better, the osthamus trees were in full bloom so my walks were scenic and shaded. I basically spent all day either eating, studying or walking.

Food

The food has always been one of my favorite parts about going to Xiang Tan. Xiang cuisine, is one of China’s big 8. Although it’s characterized by oily and spicy food (not my type), my relatives manage to make it absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!.

I ended up with a food baby every night. I usually go straight for the steamed fish or bone soup, but this time, the pork trotters stole the show.

On the 5th day, I went to some relatives’ place. More food awesomeness followed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pictures as it would have been rude

… About the Relatives

National Holiday means that everyone is on vacation, which makes it the perfect time to go see relatives. We met my uncle for meals many times since he lives nearby (he took the pictures above). On the 5th day, the party got started when we headed towards Changsha. First, we lunched with some of my Grandparent’s nieces and nephews. There was basically a restaurant takeover, with our family occupying 10 tables. If that wasn’t enough, we headed directly to another nephew’s house, where I met some of the most sociable and caring people EVER. The nephew’s wife happened to also be a foodie, so plenty of time was spent sharing recipes and such.

Overall Impression

Xiangtan did not disappoint and I will be heading back ASAP!

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