The Sound of China

My latest facebook post mentions the non-stop firecrackers (they're good luck and used to celebrate store openings, weddings, and particularly good meals, as far as I can tell), and the constantly blaring military music that is a constant companion this time of year (I think the high school kids must be doing their compulsory military training now), but I thought it would be fun to chronicle the sounds I encounter as I walk from my apartment building down the street to grab something for dinner from the vendors (fried rice and long, corn and cabbage fried dumplings tonight).

Outside of our building, the first sound is kids shouting--the courtyard in front of my place is a general gathering place. Usually 8-10 kids are running/biking around, digging in the dirt, etc. Grandparents stand around and watch them and gossip.

For a constant backdrop, put in the whoosh of traffic (a busy straight runs parallel to ours), the blare of bus horns (the busses have to make their way through streets teeming with people and lined with food carts and various vendors selling everything from bras to mp4 players to blankets, and apparently feel constant blaring is the best way to do so) and the hum of electric bikes zipping everywhere, with the constant blatblat of their horns.

Add in the chatter. Probably a couple hundred kids milling around. The ningbonese dialect is widely agreed to be one of the least harmonious in China, and a simple conversation sounds, roughly, like two cats fighting.

Then add the blare of techno music that one of the sidewalk clothes vendors has put on.

The nonstop monotonic  "che-ge  che-ge" that someone has recorded into an automatic bullhorn to advertise his food.

The sizzle of rice and noodles hitting the wok. The scrape of cooking utensils. The chop of cleavers on wood.

Sometimes I love the bustle, the aliveness, the engagement.

Sometimes it's nice to retreat to my 16th floor apartment, where only the road hum, firecrackers, and military music remain.