Today I was surprised by a „you have to come to a meeting a 2:30pm“ by our friend of Wudaoying Hutong, the small alley that has been selected as one of the special streets of Beijing and its development is being pushed by the local government. I was alone in the shop today so I had to throw out customers to make it to the nearby community center. Even though I was there at 2:40 I was still early because the „meeting“ did not start until 3pm. I was one of the 6 foreigners that had been asked to come. We also had some elderly people, local worker as well as disabled to participate.
On May 5th of the moon calendar which this year is on June 16th of the sun calendar is Dragon Boat festival. Last year the Chinese government decided this to be again a public holiday after many years of not being so. If companies decide that Saturday and Sunday is a work day then the employees get Monday to Wednesday off. And most local companies do it that way.
And following a legend there is special food which =will be prepared and eaten on this holiday. It is Zongzi. So the local Wudaoying Hutong community ladies taught us how to make Zongzi using a special rice that gets sticky when cooked and dates folded in bamboo leaves.
Then we all received a package of already finished Zongzi to take back home. And of course there was the obligatory group photo with us foreigners and the disabled.
The shop was not too busy. A Chinese guy that had only bought wheelsets, cog and lockring and cranks at my shop came by to show me his built up fixed gear bicycle.
