Sport

I like many of the foreigners living in China love my sport and although trying to keep up with events back home can often mean staying up to the early hours it’s all very accessible. As an Englishmen I’m a big football fan (Charlton Athletic) and it may surprise you to know that they don’t cover many games live from The Valley in Wuhan. After years of living here I’m still yet to meet a Chinese person who understands why I don’t support Man U, Chelsea or Liverpool. Coverage of the Premier League here is pretty good with a 3:00 Saturday kick off always shown live on TV as well as the late Sunday game. There are two pundits who cover all the matches with the Alan Hansen equivalent being a man seemingly in his early 70’s…whilst I do question his credentials slightly my intermediate understanding of Mandarin means I don’t fully understand his analysis. It’s no Monday Night Football with Gary Neville…although probably better than Keys and Gray.  The Champions league is also shown live on TV but with the 7 or 8 hour time difference it does mean staying up til the early hours. Other sports from back home are harder to catch, most people don’t really know what rugby or cricket is but there are a couple of foreign bars which show the Six nations and Test cricket.

Basketball is probably the most popular sport among young people in China with the NBA shown regularly. The NBA players are huge stars here and you can often see them on some dodgy TV adverts not too dissimilar from the Japanese Lipstick Joey advertises on friends. Students play basketball a lot and when I first arrived my teaching colleagues invited me to play basketball with them which became a weekly activity. The guys I played with were all very competitive and I really enjoyed playing with them, we always went for BBQ and a few beers afterwards too.  Badminton is another very popular sport here so if you enjoy playing you will definitely meet some friends to play with and no matter where you live in the city they will be some badminton courts not too far from you. Wuhan is also the home of tennis player Li Na and with her success over the past few years tennis is growing in popularity, if you are a keen player then be sure to bring your racket with you as there are plenty of courts around.

I thought it would be fitting to write about sport this week as it coincides with David Beckham visiting Wuhan in his new role as an ambassador of Chinese football last week. Chinese league football has had plenty of bad press in recent years and especially Wuhan’s team which has changed its name several times because of off the field issues. Last season Wuhan Zall as they are now called were promoted to the top division and they have played their first two games of the new season…losing them both. They play in a 60,000 all seater stadium and although the capacity isn’t often reached there is a great atmosphere and I really recommend anyone living here to go a check out a few of the games, although prepare yourself for some questionable refereeing decisions. From my experiences of being here sport can be a great way of making friends when you first arrive and lack any language skills.

Seasons in Wuhan

We are now entering one of two windows in the year when the weather is very pleasant. Whilst exact times vary, these windows are roughly March-May and September-November. While it would be easy to name these periods ‘Spring’ and ‘Autumn’ this is not the narrative most Wuhan people give. According to most people, Wuhan only has two seasons; summer and winter. Known as one of the three (or four depending who you ask) furnaces of China, summers in Wuhan can be slightly uncomfortable to say the least. Temperatures are typically in the mid-30s though can reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius on particularly uncomfortable days. Perhaps worse than the temperature though is the humidity which can be quite stifling. Luckily for most teachers coming to Wuhan, the peak temperatures are reached in July and August which happily sits outside the school year (giving you an opportunity to get somewhere a little cooler). Winters are cold though not too bad, the temperature rarely getting beneath freezing. Despite the temperatures being no lower than England, my Chinese friends promise me that it is terribly cold and warn me constantly to wrap up. Whilst I appreciate their friendly worry, I know other circumstances where it has been slightly more frustrating. A friend of mine was constantly warned by his co-workers to ‘Wrap up more!’ and ‘Be careful – the Wuhan winter is very cold!’ only for him to exasperatingly reply that as a Canadian he was used to sub-zero winter temperatures and actually the 2 degrees Celsius winter low represented quite a mild day!

Anyway, the winter has very much broken and we are now treated to brisk mornings and warm afternoons. With the change in season also comes a change in food. Seasonal vegetables are changing with cai tai (a personal favourite) beginning to drop off restaurant menus. Soon though I hope that liang mian will be making a return, a delicious cold noodle dish widely available and particularly tasty on a hot day. Along with this, shao kao (barbecued meats and vegetables) establishments are beginning to fill the alleys with tables and chairs providing a great place to get some late night food and beer. Winter-warming spicy hot-pots are eaten less (at least by me..) and the sales of chilled nai cha (milk tea) and dou jiang (soy milk) are back on the rise. That is one of the great things about the seasons, the feel of the city really changes and there are different things to look forward to at different times. Having said that, I’m certainly hoping for a long spring!

Nightlife in Wuhan

Maybe one of the most of the exciting aspects of teaching English in China is the nightlife. The image of China in The West doesn't necessarily reflect my experiences since being in Wuhan. Young people of China today have a similar attitude to going to bars and clubs as westerners do and because of this all the major cities in China have a big choice of Chinese style clubs and Western Bars due to the significant market for it.

I have made many Chinese friends from going to bars and its pretty common to meet Chinese locals who can speak English. Chinese people will tell you that they're very traditional and don't really got to bars and drink....well there is a lot of them that do.

The Chinese style bars are quite expensive as you need to buy a table, not too dissimilar to some of the more expensive bars in London, there are usually some performers such as singers and dancers.  Even though the price of drinks is relatively expensive Chinese people in these types of bar are very welcoming and it's pretty normal to be invited over to join a table for a few drinks. Also there doesn't seem to be any particular busy night, every night seems similar in terms of numbers which can work at well for people who work at training schools and have their days off during the week.

Wuhan has a few foreign bars scattered around the city and they’re great for meeting up with other foreign teachers, watching sport and getting some good beer. They stock many of the same drinks as in Europe although it is a little pricey compared to drinking local Chinese beer which costs as low as 20p a bottle, however its seriously lacking in quality! Most bars serve western food but again the quality is not close to what you might get at home but its enjoyable enough and not too expensive.  The pizzas available are pretty decent and much cheaper than Pizza Hut.

Helen’s Bar

There are a few Helen’s bars around China, in Beijing, Shanghai and there are 3 in Wuhan. They attract a fairly large foreign crowd, many of my friends and I go regularly. The staff can all speak some English so it’s a great place to go when you first arrive in China and are still unfamiliar with the language. We've had some great nights at Helen’s and often take advantage of a lot of the deals they offer, some nights they give away free beers and also have ladies nights on Wednesday which is just free drinks for Girls! They serve western style food all night such as burgers, pizzas, chips and nachos! It’s pretty cheap and has a really good atmosphere, its foreigner friendly but also has a lot of Chinese customers too making it a good mix for a night out.

Vox

Vox is another bar aimed at foreigners, they have good sized dance floor so is often where people end the night after a few drinks before. On weekends they also have live bands playing which can bring in large crowds and create a really good atmosphere. Tickets to get in are cheap and they have a good drinks selection which is all reasonably priced, there is also loads of great snack food just outside the front entrance so it’s good to pop out every now and then if you’re hungry.

 

 

Ever since I arrived in China I have been really happy with the nightlife, I never really thought about it before I came and didn't consider the fact there would be bars the same as back home. It wasn't a factor for me when I started my application to come and teach here but now I’m here I’m glad there are plenty of places to go and get a beer after a weeks work. The only difference being you have to trade in your end of night kebab for some egg riced rice...small price to pay though.