My Love-Hate Relationship with China's Weather

9th Floor Deck

Today I write you from the luxury of a comfortable wicker chair on the ninth floor deck of my apartment building. The sky is the shade of blue you find in a children's book on primary colors. The clouds are few, but when they pop up in the sky, they are big and fluffy like cotton candy. The temperature is warm and yes, I'm sweating, but I am thoroughly enjoying the glisten on my skin because it means I just might be getting some color on my skin. It's August and I haven't worn my bathing suit at a pool once this summer, or dipped my toes into warm water at the beach. I'm envious of my friends back home who spent three day weekends at the shore, soaking in fresh sun with fresh, salty beach air and the screams on happy children. Here in Shenyang, the ambient noise I hear is cranes creaking, horns honking, and the soft rumble of hundreds of air conditioner units.

But you know what? I'm in a minor state of bliss right now because the planets have aligned and the weather conditions seem perfect. Well, relatively perfect. It is China after all.

The View From the Street: Fluffy White Cloud

When people hear about Shenyang, the cold weather is the most common characteristic that comes to mind. And that's about right, since six months out of the year, the weather falls into the "winter" category. But what about the other months? In my opinion, May and September are the best months in Shenyang. May brings spring and the blooming of flowers and trees, along with crisp breezes and warming temperatures. September is solidly autumn (my favorite season ever) and the leaves (where you can find them) change to yellows, oranges, and reds before falling off in the brisk wind. It's a season of sweaters and knits, scarves and boots. In these months, the air is also at its best, with the air quality generally low, give or take a few consecutive days of smog. If Shenyang only has weather like May through September, it wouldn't be such a bad place.

But the smog is unpredictable. Now that the consulate has its own air monitor, we know just how bad the air can be, at any given hour of the day. As much as we try to guess what tomorrow or the weekend will bring, the air quality index (AQI) can vary drastically from one hour to the next. Yesterday for example, the consulate management team sent out a morning warning that the AQI was high, about 350, and to limit outdoor activity. The written notice only confirmed what I hade earlier realized by myself, waking up with a sore throat and tight chest, and looking out on a haze-filled city landscape. But by 4:00, the skies were as clear and blue as they are today, and our air monitor read an AQI of 26. We sat outside for a CG meet-and-greet and then later a few of us had a drinks outside in the cool evening light.

Shenyang: High AQI vs. Low AQI

There is a very tangible reaction to the weather and air quality here in Shenyang. When the AQI is bad and the weather poor, I notice myself and others are more irritable, more likely to complain. Fewer people walk home, ride their bikes, stay outside. There are weeks when the pollution is consistently bad, and the tension rises to a point where people get together more to increase their spirits. It is very necessary to let off steam, as they say. But, when the AQI is low and the weather gorgeous, I can't help but smile and rejoice. Everyone seems happier and more easy-going. We joke that we are not in Shenyang at all, because this is such a rare occasion. It is such a refreshing feeling to sit outside today and enjoy the vitamin D and the soft breeze while reading a book. It happens so infrequently when the stars align that I feel the urge to make something of it. Every precious hour of blue sky day and clear air must be taken advantage of in some way.

And only now, when the sun has gone behind the skyscraper apartment building next to mine, do I feel like it is okay to go back inside to my apartment for a while. But I could put on my running shoes and go for a long run outside, couldn't I? Any chance to soak up more sun and more fresh air...

Nightlife & Bars in Shenyang

So it's Friday night in the middle of summer and you're looking for a place to go. What are your choices? Well, in Shenyang the options are limited, but here's a few that we have found to be solid options when the weather is nice. This list is by no means exclusive or exhaustive, and if you have any other suggestions, feel free to list them in the comments section. Party on!

Black Sugar Restaurant & Bar - Nan Nanning Jie at Bei'Er Ma Lu
Although right now the road outside Black Sugar is all torn up due to construction, I have found the atmosphere to be nice here. There is an outdoor deck with some tables and chairs; inside, there are two floors, the main first floor and a more private second floor. The bar has a handful of beers on tap and their mixed drinks aren't weak. The restaurant offers Western fare, from soups and salads to pasta, burritos, steak or hamburger.  Service is attentive and very often there will be a soccer game on their projection screen. Good for dinner and a drink.

Mo Mo Coffee House (formerly 97 Club) - Zhongshan Lu at Zhongshan Square's SW corner
Sitting under Mao's southwesterly gaze, this indoor-outdoor cafe is very pleasant for its ambiance. Outdoor tables, flowers, and fences with string lights on them make for a place to sit in the summer for a beer or drink after a long night. In Shenyang, there aren't many places where you can sit outside and have a drink. If you don't mind the mosquitos or spiders, this places is pretty chill. They don't have everything they list on the menu, so don't come expecting much. But if you want a place to hang out and catch a beer while enjoying the *air, this place is pretty good. (*good air quality not guaranteed).

Stroller's Bar - Wu Jing Jie and Shi Wei Lu on the SW corner
The inside of this corner joint is filled with random German paraphernalia and rock posters from the '80s, while the bartenders walk around in all black metal band t-shirts (probably also from the '80s). A decent selection of bottled import beers makes this place good for a drink. The snack food is also pretty reliable, with the french fries, hamburger, and "tartilla" being consistently delicious with a cold Belgian beer. It's a pretty small place and can get crowded/smoky if there are lots of locals; but if you're there around 6:00pm any weekday it's still pretty quiet. Good for a drink or two on your way home.

Buddha Bar - Bin He Lu just east of the Kempinski Hotel
Jazz lounge atmosphere tucked away into an unpretentious store front. The beer list is small, but the mixed drinks are well-made and reasonably priced. On the few occasions I've been here, a solo female vocalist was singing cover songs and popular hits, which added to the nice atmosphere.  The first floor is lofty and well-spaced, and I think there's a second floor with private rooms. No food available except for the regular popcorn and nuts, but the drinks will keep you occupied well enough. Good for hanging out to chat and have a drink.

The Lobby Bar - The Grand Hyatt, 25th Floor, Wenyi Lu before Qingnian Da Jie
Shenyang's swankiest and newest bar with a phenomenal view of the city. Facing out to the TV tower, the bar is located on the 25th floor of the Hyatt and is a step above every other drinking establishment in the city. Catering to its hotel guests, the Lobby Bar offers specialty cocktails alongside a pricey beer/wine list. I've visited the bar once and will definitely be going back after work sometime soon. The mojito and cosmopolitans were both delicious and well-made. Would be great for a cocktail party.

O'Reilly's Bar - Liu Wei Lu off Bei San Jin Jie
A low-key Irish bar with an international clientele. The drinks here are so-so and the beers run about average. I've only eaten the kitchen's food once (the menu is mostly Mexican food?), but it was good for Shenyang. Occasionally there is live music here, with local bands or singers performing alongside accompaniment. A good option for St. Patrick's Day, but otherwise there are better places to go.

Green Mile/NYPD Pizza - small alley on the east side of Bei San Jing Jie, south of Shi Fu Da Lu
Hands down the best pizza in Shenyang comes out of the kitchen at the Green Mile Bar. The Green Mile is a huge draw for both Chinese and foreigners alike, and this place is packed on weeknights after 6 and certainly on weekends as well. Get a VIP card and go during happy hour to get buy-one-get-one-half-off for certain beers and drinks. While you're there, you might as well get yourself a pizza too. 10+ options to choose from, and I can tell you they all taste great. If you're coming with a big group, call in advance for a table or you might be waiting a while for a seat.

Lenore's - small alley on the east side of San Jing Jie, south of Shi San Wei Lu
Located just off the main street of 三经街, Lenore's has cheap beer and a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Options to sit inside in the air conditioning with TVs playing soccer, or to sit outside along the alleyway. Mixed drinks tend to be weak, but occasionally they have specials that are mixed well. Hookahs also available here, with a number of different flavors. A good place to have some beers before moving on to Party 98 up the street.

SoHo - Nan Nanning Jie, just south of Zhongshan Lu
Curiously, I don't know if this is part of the SoHo chain in China, but this characteristically Chinese bar/club is located just around the corner from Mo Mo. I stumbled in here with friends one night on our way home and found it to be pretty interesting. Drinks are reasonably priced, but the ambiance is a bit awkward. There is a stage for the DJ and singer, and a catwalk where there is performance dancing. Music trended towards nondescript Chinese house music, but occasionally Western songs came on. Not my first choice for going out, but it's close to downtown.

Party 98 - San Jing Jie, just north of Shi San Wei Lu
A typical Chinese club at its finest, Party 98 offers both live music (Western on the first floor, Chinese on the second floor) and DJ mixes, complete with a hydraulic dance floor. Thursdays are ladies night and Fridays/Saturdays there are great drink specials (15RMB for mixed drinks). A good selection of drinks to choose from and of course you can always order the fruit plate for your table. My recommendation is to go with a group and plan to people watch before getting on the dance floor yourself and rockin' out to some good jams.

Pure Color - Feng Tian Jie, north of Shi Fu Da Lu
Shenyang's best (and only) international dance club. The live band is awesome and they get the crowd pumping. In between their sets, the DJ plays top 40 tracks (erring on the side of last year's top 40, though). Beer is decently-priced and your standard mixed drinks are typically buy-one-get-one-free. You'll see a good amount of expats here, although the music's so loud you won't really be able to start a conversation with them. Just dance, that's what Pure Color is good for. All in all, a great place to end the night.

Summer in Shenyang and Some 'Merica Lovin'

The city of Shenyang has two major seasons: summer and winter. Most people reading into Shenyang hear a lot about the harsh winter, which lasts about 6-7 months from late October to mid April. You can look back into the archives to hear me go on about the climate during that season, but I can sum it up in one word: frigid. Spring is short, about 6 weeks in May-June, and the weather pleasantly surprises us all, especially after being frozen for so long. I missed part of it this year when I was on R&R, so it seemed even shorter for me.

Compared to the rest of China, summer in Shenyang is mild. Unlike the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai that experience heavy bouts of rain and the oppressive heat & humidity, Shenyang stays fairly dry except for the intermittent thunderstorm. Even Beijing experiences temperatures in the mid-90s and exceptionally high humidity. Out of all the Chinese cities I've visited in the summer, I prefer Shenyang's climate to all of them. I often say that we see more blue-sky days here than any other city in the country (which is not to say we don't see our fair share of smoggy days, but they are interspersed with clear days more often).

The Consulate gets pretty busy during the summertime, having come unfrozen after the deep dark winter. We get more official visitors, more visa applicants, and a slew of incoming/outgoing officers. The turnover is palpable. It's also a season of events, with the annual Independence Day Celebration and this year, the upcoming Liaoning Games (China's own version of the Olympics). Needless to say, in the midst of preparation, hails and farewells, I've been busy.

America the Beautiful
Photo credit: C. Stein 2013

The July 4th Event planning starts very early, back in March, with theme-choosing, vendor solicitation, and invite-sending. Thankfully, we have a lot of hands-on officers who help coordinate different tasks. By the day of the event, almost everyone at the Consulate has contributed to the party in some way. And it truly showed this year -- we had a fabulous event.

We held the party at a recently-opened luxury hotel in Shenyang, and every element was coordinated down to the finest detail. From the food and flowers to the tourism vendors, an extreme amount of attention was paid to perfection. And as one would expect, the result was an event that went off without a hitch. Having experienced two July 4th parties in my tour here, I can say that we took all the lessons learned from last year's party and improved greatly on the outcome. If anything, I hope that we set the bar for next year's pretty high.

Incredible food spreads & flowers
Photo credit: C. Stein 2013

In addition to the official party held by the Consulate (for official contacts), the local AmCham branch held a party down in Dalian for Americans, expats, and local Chinese involved in the AmCham community. A group of us from the Consulate headed down for a night by train to attend. Although there was a good amount of travel involved for just a one-day event, I felt refreshed after heading down there. I felt the same feeling at the family party held by one of the Consulate families in the suburbs. For a few hours, we felt like we weren't in China. We were among other Americans, listening to a live American music, enjoying fresh clean air, and eating hearty American food with our friends. To end the both nights, there were even fireworks. I echo others in saying that this brought a tear to my eye.

Fireworks in Dalian
(iPhone)

I'm normally pretty sentimental about patriotic things, but this specific moment, watching fireworks and celebrating July 4th in China, was super important to me. For some background, last year, I was blessed to be able to spend July 4th with my family at home in the USA. I had the chance to watch amazing fireworks not once, but twice! First with my mom and stepdad at the Midway Fire Station in Doylestown, PA and then again with my dad, sister, brother-in-law, and extended family down at Ocean City, NJ. The whole experience of coming home after a year abroad was emotional, but being back on our nation's holiday as an employee of the US government, that filled me with a sense of pride that I hadn't experienced before.

On a daily basis, I don't actively think of myself as a representative of America abroad. I live my life as I wish, with a subtle subconscious reminder that I am a government employee. Yes, it's obvious to just about everyone in this city that I am not local. They don't know that I'm an American, though. I could just as easily be French, Canadian, German, or Russian. But when I was in America for July 4th last year, I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs: "I AM AN AMERICAN! I LOVE MY COUNTRY!" Whether it was the sense of freedom and liberty I was feeling, or the fact that I could walk into Walmart and choose from 25 different kinds of pasta sauce, I knew I loved the US.

My love of country amplified a hundred times being outside of America for its birthday. Americans can easily forget how great their country is when they live there. The convenience of everything. We truly are lucky as Americans to have what we have and access to so much more (information, goods, opportunity, you name it). I am so thankful to have the chance to come home every two years to "repatriate" and immerse myself in the good ol' American culture. During the time at home, I think we (as Foreign Service folk) come to realize how proud we are of the US and it helps us recommit to our mission to represent/protect this great country abroad. It also gives us a chance to realize what is truly important to us in life, whether it's family, friends, fresh air, or freedom.

So here's to you, America. Happy 237th. You're one classy broad.

Happy Birthday, America
from Cabby